Hunting cowards down with A.I.
From streamlining online research to creating deepfake videos, artificial intelligence (A.I.) has almost boundless potential and is definitely here to stay, despite its seemingly endless controversies.
But for Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, A.I. is a powerful tool in helping keep people in motorsports safe, especially online.
“One of our biggest problems now in the FIA is this toxic social media – abusing drivers, abusing staff, abusing even journalists,” he told Inquirer Mobility in an exclusive interview at the sidelines of the 2026 FIA Asia-Pacific Congress last Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, 2026 in Boracay.
“A.I. fits in something called the trusted flagger,” he added. “You cannot go on and just allow these people to abuse your sport. These people are cowards – they have no courage to show their faces because they are wrong.”
Under the Digital Services Act of the European Union (EU), trusted flaggers are designated entities that are experts in detecting potentially illegal content, such as hate speech and terrorist content, and alerting online platforms.
Bringing them to justice
This is in line with FIA’s United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) campaign, which was founded by Sulayem in 2023 and is supported by major organizations like the FIA Foundation and the EU.
It was prompted by the “horrific online abuse and harassment” against an FIA Steward following the 2022 U.S. Grand Prix. Through the UAOA, the FIA is taking a leadership role in addressing hate speech and online abuse against athletes, officials, journalists, fans and other stakeholders of sport.
Sulayem said the FIA intends to use A.I. to track down perpetrators of online abuse.
“They go throw stones and threaten because they cannot face them,” he said. “And these people are hiding in their garages, in their basements and family houses. But when you have A.I., you can trace this and bring at least one of them to justice. It will send a very strong message that new technology is helping define this cowardice.”
Information center
Sulayem said the FIA can also use A.I. to help with motorsport stewarding.
“Some of the mistakes and some of the accidents have repeatedly been done, you can just use A.I,” he said. “When you put all that information in and you have someone press that issue, it is going to help you in saying this is the best solution or penalty.”
Sulayem said integrating technology would allow for more clear-cut decision-making, especially in highly contentious calls.
“It’s so important for us because some of the penalties or decisions that are taken by the Stewards, you minimize the criticism and you minimize the mistakes,” he said. “Human error will always be there, I’m sorry. But with A.I., you can minimize it.”
‘Stupid’
Sulayem admitted that although the fight against online abuse won’t be easy, it’s something worth backing.
“Now we have 30 countries and federations joining,” he added. “We have a lot of people supporting us, but this is a marathon. My voice and the FIA’s voice are good, but we need everybody with us.”
According to its official website, the UAOA global coalition has over 70 members that are “dedicated to creating an online environment where sport can be celebrated as a positive, inclusive and empowering force of good.” And for critics who believe that this campaign harms freedom of speech, Sulayem has a very clear message.
“When you tell a certain person that ‘I will kill you and rape your family,’ is that freedom of speech?” he said. “That’s illegal! Whoever said that is freedom of speech is the most stupid thing I have ever heard. People are afraid to go out. People are afraid for their lives.”
In the Philippines, cyberbullying is covered by various acts under Republic Act 10175 or the “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.” If found guilty, perpetrators face jail time and fines.
Ever-advancing A.I. combined with the ferocity of big international figures like FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem – cyberbullies beware!
