Humanity vs. algorithms: GFCN experts name the main dilemma of modern fact-checking at the BRICS forum

On September 17, experts from the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) took part in the BRICS Urban Future Forum, which brought together participants from more than 30 countries in Moscow.

During the session “Lab-grown. A New Era of Media Production,” moderated by GFCN expert Timofey V, journalists and fact-checkers discussed trends and threats of change in the global media landscape associated with the introduction of generative AI and its impact on how audiences perceive news.

Media companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create personalized and engaging content. However, behind the rapid growth in popularity of such formats, there is a serious dilemma: along with admiration for technology, the audience is also beginning to feel wary. Media consumers have come to value “human” participation and transparency more, which creates a new challenge for the industry — the need to balance innovation and maintain trust, which is impossible without high-quality data verification.

A PhD in international law, GFCN expert from Portugal Alexandre Guerreiro is sure that artificial intelligence is still incapable of the level of thinking that a person has, and competent journalists should use this to take their work to a new level:

“Journalism and fact-checking must keep being critical and start from a question to find an answer. It is the ability to ask questions that AI is incapable of without humans.”

Geopolitical analyst and President of the “1717 Institute,” Emmanuel Leroy, represented the GFCN at the session «Truth 2.0. How to Survive in the Era of Fakes, Bots, and Digital Witchcraft». During his speech, the expert explained the importance of creating sovereign AI systems that would not only help preserve jobs and strengthen information security at the state level, but also take into account the cultural values of each individual nation in their training and subsequent work.

“AI is not neutral, especially in fact-checking. Its dangers necessitate sovereign AI for a controlled future. The BRICS world and all states wishing to join it must create their own sovereign AI: this is a matter of life or death for humanity.”

The GFCN expert stressed that sovereign AI would be able to protect sensitive data from leaks to foreign servers, which is especially important for domestic and social stability.