Disinformation
Also called misinformation, influence operation, fake news
False information spread on purpose to mislead people; misinformation is false information shared by people who believe it.
Disinformation is old. What AI changes is the cost of making it. A single operator can now write posts in many languages, invent personas with photos, produce fake news sites and reply to comments around the clock.
The evidence so far is more mixed than the fear. When OpenAI studied 5 covert campaigns from Russia, China, Iran and Israel that used its models, it found the AI helped them produce and translate content, but the campaigns didn't meaningfully increase their audience; none broke out into real communities. Reach still depends on accounts, networks and people willing to share.
The bigger risk may be quieter: a flood of plausible fakes that makes people doubt everything, including what's true. The habit that helps is the same as for any claim: find the original source before you share.
For example
A network of fake accounts posts AI-written comments in several languages, all pushing the same false story about an election.
Put it to use
Where you'll meet disinformation in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, how to use it there, and the mix-up most people make.
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