Amidst all the Russia-Ukraine war scenario, the world was startled by a deepfake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media, falsely showing himself surrendering to Russia. While the Ukrainian government quickly debunked the video, such an incident highlighted how deepfakes could be weaponized in wartime propaganda.
In 2024, scammers used a deepfake of a Hong Kong company's CFO in a video call to deceive an employee into transferring $25 million to fraudulent accounts, resulting in a significant financial loss. Numerous global instances like these shows how deepfake technology has been exploited for fraud, political disinformation, and privacy violations.
AI helps debunk fake news, restoring faith
While the AI deepfake stakes are high, AI is rapidly and smartly stepping up to fight misinformation and deceit. AI chatbots are actually helping people ditch conspiracy theories by serving up solid counter-evidence. In one study, people who chatted with them saw their belief in conspiracies drop by 20%—and the best part? The effect stuck around for months!
While commenting on the findings, Dr Thomas Costello, a co-author of the study from American University, mentioned, “The AI knew in advance what the person believed and, because of that, it was able to tailor its persuasion to their precise belief system”. He further added, “In most cases, the AI can only chip away – making people a bit more sceptical and uncertain – but a select few were disabused of their conspiracy entirely.”
So, AI has some real potential in fighting misinformation, but it’s not a magic fix. The tricky part is getting people—especially those who already distrust science—to actually engage with it. But if used the right way, AI could help correct false beliefs and encourage more critical thinking.
Fact checks? Done by AI
The Global Risks Report, created in partnership with Marsh McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, takes a deep dive into some of the biggest challenges we could face over the next decade. The World Economic Forum’s report identified and highlighted the threats of misinformation and disinformation and its stake in the coming years.
On one hand, AI being one of the culprits, can it be an enabler too?
AI is great at quickly processing huge amounts of data, which makes it a powerful tool for fact-checking and content moderation. It can spot patterns, analyze language, and understand context to help identify false information and flag misleading content. By cross-referencing multiple sources, AI can quickly check the credibility of claims and assist in keeping online spaces more trustworthy. That said, human oversight is still important to catch nuances like satire, bias, and shifting narratives.
AI and misinformation: The balancing act
AI is a game-changer in the fight against misinformation, but rolling it out wisely is key. The big challenges? Making sure AI stays accurate, tackling potential biases, and getting people—especially skeptics—to actually trust and use these tools. Despite these hurdles, AI has huge potential to boost critical thinking and help build a more informed, aware society.
Now is the time to explore how AI can strengthen your fact-checking processes and enhance content integrity. At Covasant, AI is at the heart of everything we do. It powers smart decision-making, automates processes, and transforms data into real insights. Our AI-driven solutions help businesses predict outcomes, streamline tasks, and elevate customer experiences—all while continuously learning and improving.
Connect with our experts to build a befitting AI strategy for your business.
