Combat misinformation & digital threats with AI
On Tuesday 13 May, PoliSync hosted the second webinar in the AI for Social Good webinar series: Combat misinformation & digital threats with AI.
Moderator Sandra Uwantege Hart unpacked this complex topic with a panel of superb experts. From deepfakes to migration narratives & humanitarian crises, the panel explored how AI can both fuel disinformation & also help detect & counter it. The risks are real, but so are the solutions.
Here are our key takeaways:
"The speed, the scale, and the emotional intensity of the misinformation is outpacing our traditional responses." - Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy, Global Information Integrity Expert
Ferdi outlined how global misinformation has become more emotionally charged, fragmented & weaponised. He introduced seven types of misinformation & emphasised the importance of shared standards, cross-border collaboration & inclusive AI tools for fact-checkers, especially in low-resource environments.
“False narratives do spread faster than fact checks, & fact checking is often trying to catch up by its very nature.” - Marie McAuliffe, Head of Migration Research, IOM Research,
Marie focused on how misinformation around migration is growing, fuelled by generative AI & digital echo chambers. She highlighted the double-edged nature of AI, capable of spreading & detecting disinformation, and stressed the need for robust, multilingual data resources like the World Migration Report’s HTML format for ease of use by AI platforms, to help counter harmful narratives.
“The consequences for women, girls & women’s activists, especially in the Global South... is potentially fatal & life threatening.” - Taban Shoresh OBE, Founder, The Lotus Flower
Taban highlighted the real-world dangers of AI-fuelled gender-based violence, such as deepfakes. She described grassroots efforts like Cyber Sisters & Coding Sisters to promote digital security & inclusion, and urged funders to treat online safety as essential infrastructure, not an optional add-on.
"Combating these threats isn’t just about truth in media, it’s also a humanitarian imperative.” - Erica Moret, Director, UN & International Organisations, Microsoft.
Erica explained how AI can be used to monitor online misinformation, support fact-checkers, & communicate accurate information in crisis zones. She shared examples of Microsoft’s tools like Video Authenticator & emphasised the importance of human oversight, governance frameworks, & aligning AI with international humanitarian law.
Didn’t make it or want to watch it again? Access it on our free AI resources webpage here or watch it on our YouTube channel here.