To revolutionize the fight against disinformation, a four-year innovation action, AI4Debunk, has been launched January 2024. Funded by the European Union (EU) through the Horizon Europe Programme, the project brings together an interdisciplinary consortium of 13 partner entities from eight countries towards a shared mission: to support trustworthy online activity by providing citizens with human-centered AI-powered tools. Professor Zaneta Ozolina, Representative of the Boston Global Forum in Riga has joined the AI4Debunk program.
Learn more about the project on its website: ai4debunk.eu
In recent years, the proliferation of disinformation has become a major issue across Europe. The communication during COVID-19 crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ‘war-like’ as the EU has been engaged in the “infodemic” global battle of narratives. Geo-political component of “infodemic” are very challenging as foreign actors, in particular Russia and China, are very experienced in organising toxic disinformation campaigns, using various manipulating techniques and destructive narratives for “anti-EU” propaganda in their struggle for influence. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions can serve as a powerful tool in debunking disinformation. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has said: “AI is already changing our everyday lives. And this is just the beginning. Used wisely and widely, AI promises huge benefits to our economy and society.”
Partners who will participate and are in charge of the successful implementation of AI4Debunk: University of Latvia (Latvia) – project coordinator, EURACTIV, Pilot4DEV, University of Mons (Belgium). Internews Ukraine (Ukraine), National Research Council of Italy, University of Florence (Italy), Barcelona Supercomputing Center (Spain), DOTSOFT (Greece), University of Galway, F6S Innovation (Ireland), University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, INNoVaTiVe POWER (the Netherlands).
Involving various stakeholders, from media professionals to software developers and AI experts, this new EU project takes a holistic approach to fighting disinformation through Human-AI collaboration. It will be validated with two case studies: Russian propaganda related to the war in Ukraine and manipulated content on climate change.
AI4Debunk aims to develop four human-centered AI-powered interfaces: a web plug-in, a collaborative platform, a smartphone app, and an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality interface based on the first-of-its-kind open-source debunking API.
The plug-in will be designed for seamless integration with web browsers and social media platforms, delivering instant notifications to users when they encounter false content, regardless of the format. As for the collaborative platform (Disinfopedia), it will allow proactive users to report suspicious content, which will then be checked by human experts and potentially removed from circulation. The app, in turn, will enable people to detect disinformation in everyday life directly through their smartphone. Lastly, the AR/VR interface will provide guidelines on how to deal with disinformation in future AR/VR-based social media.
AI4Debunk’s interfaces cover different needs – from real-time analysis of multimodal content to community-driven reporting and immersive experiences. These will provide citizens with a comprehensive set of fact-checking resources to navigate the digital media landscape more consciously and make informed decisions. These interfaces will also be innovatively and playfully designed for educational purposes to help students become discerning consumers of information. By promoting transparency, accuracy, and responsible engagement with online platforms, AI4Debunk strives to foster critical thinking and reinforce the fabric of a healthy democracy.
