Clay Pearson from AFI shares his thoughts on how AI-driven misinformation is outpacing local governments, eroding trust, and making democracy more vulnerable to manipulation. Social media algorithms fuel the fire by amplifying sensationalism, but can AI also be part of the solution?
Fight fire with fire? Misinformation vexes local government leaders at all levels, frustrating and distracting from the work. A fuel to the fire is the speed and breadth with which AI can develop and distribute misleading or false information that is indistinguishable from human-made content. Compounding the problem even more are the social media algorithms that reward emotional and inflammatory content. The combination presents serious threats to functioning democracy and engagement between its elected leaders and those they serve.
Raluca Csernatoni’s article for the Carnegie Endowment dives into how this is playing out. She explores how AI-generated misinformation is faster chiseling away at already damaged trust, making democracies less resilient to foreign interference. The `Way Forward’ section of her paper has the practical actionable gems for local governments to use.
Fear not. YOU can implement AI-powered fact-checking and verification tools like
- Google's Fact Check Explorer of Full-Fact’s AI-assisted verification. Automated fact-checking can help local governments quickly detect and counter false narratives.
- Leaders can even deploy real-time misinformation monitoring with their social media platforms. The Los Angeles County Election Office uses AI-driven monitoring to detect misleading election-related posts and respond swiftly.
Csernatoni shares, "The core of the problem lies in the speed and scale at which AI tools, once deployed or weaponized on social media platforms, can generate misleading content. In doing so, these tools outpace both governmental oversight and society’s ability to manage the consequences."
I see four pillars to using AI for local governments to actively counter the disruptive power of AI
1. AI-Powered Detection & Monitoring
2. AI-Powered Verification & Counteraction
3. Public Engagement & Education
4. Regulatory & Policy Frameworks
The paper is chock full of examples such as the City of San Antonio launched an AI-driven chatbot for real-time public inquiries about tax changes and public health, reducing misinformation spread. Misinformation thrives when people don’t have easy access to official, clear, and trustworthy information from their local government.
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