Social networks have increasingly started to warn users that content is likely to be misinformation. While these solutions are well-intentioned, they aren’t always effective. New research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute highlights how artificial intelligence can help the platforms make more accurate assessments of the news stories, especially during the period when the story is breaking.
The study reveals that AI-powered interventions are often poor at flagging issues with stories that cover topics frequently discussed, such as climate change or vaccinations, as these issues have deeply entrenched beliefs.
When a topic is sufficiently new that we haven’t developed our opinion yet, however, tailored AI-generated advice can really help people to make better and more informed judgments regarding the reliability of the article.
Spotting fake news
This support is most potent when it is accompanied by reasoning that aligns with the natural thought processes of each person. This might include, for instance, an assessment of the facts included in the article to discern their accuracy, or it could assess the reliability of the news source itself.
“It’s not enough to build a good tool that will accurately determine if a news story is fake,” the researchers say. “People actually have to believe the explanation and advice the AI gives them, which is why we are looking at tailoring the advice to specific heuristics. If we can get to people early on when the story breaks and use specific rationales to explain why the AI is making the judgment, they’re more likely to accept the advice.”
The study covered the period immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic and the initial months of the pandemic, which the researchers believe gives them valuable insight into how the real-time news about the pandemic was treated by the public.
“Our work with coronavirus news shows that these findings have real-life implications for practitioners,” they conclude. “If you want to stop fake news, start right away with messaging that is reasoned and direct. Don’t wait for opinions to form.”
