Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation: Building Societal Resilience in the Age of Manipulation and Propaganda
摘要
This chapter examines the escalating threat of AI-driven disinformation and explores a multi-layered framework for building societal resilience. Global Risks Reports from the World Economic Forum 2024 and 2025 identified disinformation as the most pressing short-term global threat. The chapter analyzes how malicious actors, particularly state-linked networks, are leveraging generative AI to scale up foreign information manipulation operations. To address evolving threats, the chapter proposes a framework encompassing short-term technological interventions, medium-term regulatory mechanisms, and long-term educational strategies. Technological responses focus on AI-assisted content moderation, network analysis, and real-time media verification tools. Legal responses explore the emerging regulatory landscape, including the EU’s AI Act and Digital Services Act, and recommend stronger enforcement mechanisms, algorithmic audits, and platform accountability structures. Educational responses emphasize the foundational role of media literacy, highlighting national initiatives in Estonia and Ukraine, and recommending curriculum reforms, gamified learning tools, and student-led initiatives. By interlinking technology, policy, and education, this chapter advocates for an integrated approach to mitigating the harms of AI-enabled disinformation. It calls for closer collaboration among governments, tech firms, academia, and civil society to ensure that AI’s benefits are realized responsibly while safeguarding democratic institutions against manipulation.