Researcher Daniel Thilo Schroeder warns of AI-driven disinformation threats

New analytical technologies enable organisations to turn large data sets into categorized insights that reveal social, economic and cultural trends. By segmenting information from sources such as social media and consumer behaviour, algorithms and machine learning help businesses and policymakers anticipate developments and address emerging conflicts.

Researcher Daniel Thilo Schroeder of SINTEF Digital cautions that the same AI capabilities can be weaponised. He describes “digital wildfires” where coordinated AI‑driven agents spread misinformation rapidly across platforms, amplifying conspiracies such as the 5G‑COVID link. Schroeder notes that reduced data access for scholars hampers monitoring, while agentic AI can maintain persistent identities, adapt in real‑time, and operate with minimal human oversight, posing a threat to democratic resilience.