Project Overview
The AI, Media and Democracy Lab is part of a broader investigation into the democratic and legal implications of disinformation funded by the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations. In collaboration with the University of Amsterdam, Wageningen University and Stichting Post-X Society, the project tackles challenges around disinformation from different angles to assess emerging risks and explore ways of increasing democratic resilience.
The core focus of our lab within this collaboration is to explore how the emergence of (generative) artificial intelligence changes the opportunity structures for disinformation, as well as how new synthetic forms of content affect citizens and how they can be transparently labelled and/or effectively corrected. In doing so, we hope to better understand not only how AI-generated content shapes disinformation dynamics, but also how potential problems can be mitigated (through labelling, for instance).
Approach
Methodologically, the project draws on literature reviews, legal analyses, surveys and experimental studies. Among others, this includes a panel survey to probe mis- and disinformation perceptions in the general public, a report on recent regulatory changes concerning the use and disclosure of generative AI, a joint experiment on the implications of journalistic AI disclosures on public trust, and experiments on the effects of AI-generated propaganda as well as ways to correct it.
The project is still ongoing and will result in several publications, as well as an overarching report for the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations.
