Please click here to find the latest report of the Budapest Centre, through the project V4 Taskforce on the Prevention of Mass Atrocities, on the Capabilities of the Visegrad Group in Preventing Extremism.

CEE Prevent Net Working Paper, October 2019

As part of the project “CEE Prevent Net – Central and Eastern European Network for the Prevention of Intolerance and Group Hatred”, an interdisciplinary team of researchers and prevention practitioners from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia has investigated into advocacy and communication strategies for advancing prevent work in the region. They have reviewed existing strategies and good practices, conducted field work and interviewed about 150 governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in youth affairs and prevention from different professions and ends of the political spectrum.

Their final report offers strategies and recommendations for practitioners and civil society to engage in political advocacy to prevent intolerance, discrimination and group hatred of youth. In particular, these recommendations focus on the possibilities for advocacy under unfavorable conditions in contemporary (Central and Eastern) Europe, such as growing levels of group hatred and right-wing extremism, shrinking civic space or the erosion of human rights standards, media independence and the rule of law, which pose a serious threat to peaceful and democratic societies in the region.

We strongly encourage our visitors to take a look at this report, since it remains strikingly current and useful.

Please download THE REPORT here

The Initiative to establish the Task Force was launched by the Budapest Centre to assess the capabilities of the European Union to prevent mass atrocities. The Task Force was co-chaired by Professor Christoph O. Meyer (King’s College London) and Professor Karen E. Smith (London School of Economics). It was made up of leading European academics, experts and practitioners and produced the ‘Report on EU and Prevention of Mass Atrocities’ which was released at a public event in March 2013 and presented directly to the European External Action Service (EEAS) and other key decision makers in EU institutions and Member State governments.


The core aim of the report was to review the existing tools of the European Union for the prevention of mass atrocities and make recommendations to optimize timely and adequate responses to emerging threats of mass atrocities.

We strongly encourage our visitors to take a look at this report, since it remains strikingly current and useful.

Please download THE REPORT here

Throughout the twentieth century, genocide became a frequent occurrence with millions massacred. This has continued into the twentieth-first century, where perpetrators engage in the intentional mass killing of particular groups in society. Such events are not sudden occurrences but take place under particular circumstances developed over time.

To help recognize the evolution of genocidal processes and prevent future tragedies, American scholar Gregory H. Stanton developed the theory of “ten stages of genocide,” which describe the different stages leading up to a genocide. The stages are as follows: (1) classification; (2) symbolization; (3) discrimination; (4) dehumanization; (5) organization; (6) polarization; (7) preparation; (8) persecution; (9) extermination; and (10) denial. This process is not necessarily linear, and stages may occur in parallel to each other.

The authors of the article attempt to demonstrate the role that artificial intelligence (AI) can play throughout that process in terms of how it can exacerbate the situation or prevent its escalation. In particular, AI in relation to (1) the media and (2) surveillance is discussed given that both appear to be the most common features within the ten stages. While there are of course other AI tools that may be employed throughout the genocidal process, they will not be the focus of the paper. The paper merely attempts to introduce its readers to and raise awareness of the ten stages of genocide, providing a detailed overview of said stages, in addition to how AI vis-à-vis the media and surveillance may play a role in the process.

The article is the third piece in the series of reflections, prepared by the group of interns of the Budapest Centre, which aims to illustrate the role of AI in fighting mass atrocities. The authors hope that the document will also contribute to the research planned by the Budapest Centre within the Initiative “Multipolar Task Force.”

Read more by following the link

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming commonplace in every aspect of society at an accelerating rate, employed in civilian industries such as healthcare and education but also for military means. While there are several benefits to such a trend, the rise of AI does not come without challenges.

A paper was published by the Budapest Centre recently on the security risks related to the rise of AI in the context of mass atrocities. This second paper of the series aims to provide an overview of the policies and recommendations made by international and regional organizations in this realm. Building upon this, the paper concludes that the majority of the eight well-known organizations addressed in the paper do not tackle the challenges from a security perspective.

The Budapest Center for Mass Atrocities Prevention, therefore, pushes these organizations to look closer at concrete actions in the field of AI and mass atrocities they could take by articulating policies and recommendations that governments should take on this topic. The paper predominantly targets young people to introduce them to the topic of mass atrocities in relation to AI; however, academics are welcome to utilize this work for their purposes. The authors hope that the document will also contribute to the research planned by the Budapest Centre within the Initiative “Multipolar Task Force.”

Read more by following the link

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming commonplace in every aspect of society at an accelerating rate. However, the rise of AI does not come without challenges. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to raise awareness of some risks AI represents in the context of mass atrocities. The list is non-exhaustive. It includes the exploitation of sensitive data, the question of ethics, cybercrime and warfare, programmes and models run by AI. The paper is written by the team of interns in the Budapest Centre and it mainly targets young people to introduce them to the topic of mass atrocities in relation to AI; however, we also welcome academics to utilize this work for their purposes.

The authors hope that the document will also contribute to the research planned by the Budapest Centre within the Initiative “Multipolar Task Force.”

Read more by following the link

The intention of this series of papers is to raise awareness of the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of human rights, and more specifically, mass atrocities. They are written by a group of young research assistants during their internship at the Budapest Centre who will finish their graduate studies in the next months. The articles target people of their age specifically to introduce them to the issue of AI in the context of mass atrocities and grant them a broad overview of it. The papers do not go in-depth; they merely introduce the readers to the topic of AI through the lens of mass atrocities and human rights. While academics are not the primary target, they are welcome to utilize the paper for their own purpose.

“The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Risks from the Perspective of Mass Atrocities” is the first paper written of this series and presents a global introduction to this topic. Several risks linked to or run by AI in the field of mass atrocities are detailed, such as sensitive data, the question of ethics, cybercrime or warfare.

The second paper that will be published soon regards the policies and recommendations made by international and regional organizations in response to the risks that AI may pose to human rights abuses, including the perpetration of mass atrocities.

More papers on this topic are planned to be published on the social media platforms of the Budapest Center for Mass Atrocities in the forthcoming months.

Young and ambitious researchers are most welcome to participate in this endeavor!!

Stay tuned!


Find the links to the articles below:

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Risks from the Perspective of Mass Atrocities

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in The Context of Mass Atrocities: Policies and Recommendations from International and Regional Organisations

How AI can either exacerbate or prevent genocides: Reflection based on the 10 Stages of Genocide