Factchequeado Unveils “AI Sin Fronteras” at Clinton Global Initiative to Protect Spanish‑Speaking Democracies

Factchequeado presented its Commitment to Action, AI Sin Fronteras: Protecting Democracy in Spanish, at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. Developed in partnership with Argentina’s Chequeado and Spain’s Fundación Maldita.es, the initiative highlights how current AI systems can produce unequal and harmful outcomes for Spanish‑speaking communities—threatening access to reliable civic information and democratic participation.

Why This Matters

At CGI 2026, Laura Zommer, CEO and co‑founder of Factchequeado, asked a stark question: Who is heard—and who feels safe participating in public life—in the age of AI? For Spanish speakers, the consequences are already tangible. Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (part of Factchequeado’s network) found that six leading AI chatbots answered basic U.S. election questions about 16% worse in Spanish than in English; one model even provided the wrong midterm election date twice. When civic information is unreliable in a given language, people’s ability to vote, engage, and hold leaders accountable is directly affected.

The Scope of Concern

Public anxiety is high: a national survey from UC San Diego’s Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections—also part of Factchequeado’s partner network—found that 76% of Americans worry that AI‑generated deepfakes could influence the 2026 midterms. Combined, these findings point to an urgent need for targeted, language‑aware safeguards.

What AI Sin Fronteras Will Do

AI Sin Fronteras is a three‑year, cross‑border effort (September 2026–September 2029) designed to strengthen democratic resilience across the United States, Latin America and Europe—covering seven Spanish‑language jurisdictions across three continents (including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Spain, alongside Spanish‑speaking communities in the United States).

The initiative will combine:

• AI‑system testing and accountability to measure performance across languages;
• Detection and rapid response to synthetic political content and disinformation;
• Protections for groups disproportionately targeted by AI‑enabled abuse, especially Latina political and civic actors;
• Responsible AI adoption support for newsrooms and independent media; and
• Expanded media and AI literacy programming for Spanish‑speaking communities and educators.

Key Programs and Partnerships

In the United States, Factchequeado will establish an AI Democracy Integrity Lab—the first major Spanish‑language lab of its kind. Drawing on a network of more than 150 media and community partners, the Lab will monitor emerging narratives, research synthetic content, coordinate Spanish‑language verification and provide evidence to inform policy and practice.

The organization will also launch a Latina Candidates Protection Program to document AI‑enabled political and gendered attacks, build a threat dataset, and offer training and rapid‑response support for candidates and civic leaders. Factchequeado will back 50 local Spanish‑language newsrooms in the U.S. to strengthen their responsible use of AI and will expand FactDesafIA, its AI literacy initiative, with an elections‑focused component.

Chequeado will adapt and scale the model across Latin America—supporting independent media in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay—training educators and producing open Spanish‑language resources for safe, constructive AI use. Fundación Maldita.es will deploy AI‑assisted monitoring and rapid response in Spain and broaden media and AI literacy programming for students, teachers, journalists, civil society and Latino communities in Europe.

Cross‑Border Research and Accountability

Together, the three partners will analyze threats that cross borders, publish comparative research and policy recommendations, and develop a replicable model for Spanish‑language information ecosystems vulnerable to AI‑driven harms. The proposed three‑year commitment aims to benefit millions by strengthening local information ecosystems, supplying verified content, producing research and educational resources, and leveraging partners’ distribution networks.

“Artificial intelligence does not affect every community equally,” said Laura Zommer. “When AI systems are less reliable in Spanish—and when local communities and newsrooms lack the resources to detect AI‑driven manipulation or harness these tools for good—existing information inequalities do not just persist; they deepen. AI Sin Fronteras is about making sure Spanish‑speaking communities are not an afterthought.”

About The Partners

Factchequeado is a nonpartisan U.S. nonprofit (501(c)(3)) working to close the information gap for more than 68 million Spanish speakers in the United States by expanding access to verified and relevant information and strengthening the Spanish‑language information ecosystem.

Chequeado is an Argentine nonpartisan nonprofit that combines fact‑checking, education and civic technology to improve public debate and democratic resilience across Latin America.

Fundación Maldita.es is a Spanish nonprofit dedicated to protecting information integrity through journalism, education, technology and policy, and to building public trust with research, tools and community engagement.

About CGI: The Clinton Global Initiative convenes leaders across sectors to turn ideas into measurable commitments. Since 2005, CGI’s model has produced thousands of Commitments to Action aimed at solving pressing global problems through collaboration.