President Ranil Wickremesinghe has met with Sir Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister and current President for Global Affairs at Meta, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

During their discussions, President Wickremesinghe highlighted the government’s new initiatives to combat online hate speech and the spread of fake news, the President’s Media Division said. 

He emphasized that the proposed bill would allow concerned parties to challenge specific aspects through the Supreme Court and further revisions could be considered during the Parliamentary Committee review.

The President was briefed on Facebook owner Meta’s advancements in Artificial Intelligence, with a particular emphasis on open-source technologies.

Both parties explored potential collaborations between the Sri Lankan Government and Meta in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). One of the proposals discussed was the development of a collaborative program between Meta and Sri Lankan universities aimed at advancing AI technology.

President Wickremesinghe emphasized his two primary areas of focus: fostering the growth of the AI sector in the country, especially in the realm of education and utilizing AI to support data-driven initiatives aimed at addressing climate change.

Accompanying the President were Senior Advisor for Climate Change, Ruwan Wijewardena; President’s Secretary, Saman Ekanayake; Chairman of the BOI, Dinesh Weerakkody and Director of International Affairs, Dinouk Colombage.

--PMD