AI-driven misinformation and disinformation risks

Commentators have raised alarms regarding the increasing impact of artificial intelligence on the information ecosystem. Initial concerns focused on ‘AI slop’—fake, AI-generated stories designed to trigger emotional responses and encourage social media sharing through fabricated narratives.

As the technology evolves, experts warn that the transition to AI has increased the scale, speed, and ease with which realistic content can be created by average users. This shift is identified as a primary risk for political disinformation, potentially leading to a ‘liar’s dividend’ where the public becomes unable to distinguish between real and fake content, thereby undermining legitimate news outlets.

Recent developments highlight specific technical and structural challenges in information verification. In Romania, specialists have noted that AI systems can generate errors by summarizing internet data without verifying the accuracy of events, such as whether specific festivals have been canceled. To counter this, experts recommend ‘lateral reading’—verifying information through diverse, credible sources like local authorities.

In Moldova, concerns have been raised regarding the velocity of information. Experts argue that the speed of official communication must match or exceed the speed of disinformation, noting that false messages often gain credibility by ‘incorporating true facts while omitting essential details.’ Consequently, there is a growing call for authorities and NGOs to provide verified details more rapidly to prevent falsehoods from shaping public perception.