EducaMídia, an artificial intelligence (AI) literacy nonprofit, has teamed up with AI studio SILVERSIDE to raise awareness about AI-generated misinformation on social media. The partnership saw the rollout of a viral video urging viewers to remain wary of the spread of deepfakes on the internet.
Launching AI Awareness Month with a viral video
In a quest to raise awareness toward the rise of deepfakes, EducaMídia and SILVERSIDE released an AI-generated video on April Fools’ Day. According to an accompanying press release, parties noted that the video was an attempt to expose how easily AI-generated misinformation can be considered real.
Featuring a hyper-realistic breaking news announcement of a scientific discovery, breaks into absurdity midway. The AI-generated video urged viewers to always double-check the authenticity of content before resharing or forming an opinion.
PJ Pereira, Founder of Silverside, the AI lab behind the video, told Charity Journal that the campaign had the intended effect on viewers. Pereira disclosed that the video elicited two main reactions, with the first being surprise and the second triggering a yearning for the video to be true.
“The first tells us the format is working,” said Pereira. “The second is even more revealing. It shows how AI fakery often exploits what we want to believe is true.”
Released in English and Portuguese, the video seeks to reach viewers in the US and Brazil, countries inching toward major elections. The video ends by introducing a call to action to recognize April as AI Awareness Month, amplifying a call for AI literacy.
Scrambling to educate the public on AI misinformation
At the moment, making and distributing AI-generated videos is not rocket science. AI video generators can generate large volumes of false content, spreading misinformation faster than human fact-checkers can respond.
Critics warn that deepfakes can alter election outcomes, influencing voters unfairly with misinformation.
“Media literacy plays a critical role in protecting public discourse, especially in moments of elections,” remarked Patricia Blanco, President of the Instituto Palavra Aberta, EducaMídia’s parent organization. “When synthetic content can circulate as fact, it can influence how people think, what they believe, and how they act.”
Meanwhile, Pereira urged individuals to spread awareness about the dangers of AI-powered misinformation. He added that creators of AI content spearheading the awareness efforts will have a far-reaching impact.
“There’s also something powerful about creators of AI content raising their hands and saying, ‘Here’s the problem.”
Currently, AI companies are building tools to identify synthetic content amid rising use cases for the emerging technology. Furthermore, social media platforms like Meta and TikTok have rolled out guidelines warning creators to clearly label or remove misleading AI-generated content.
On the regulatory side of things, countries are also scrambling to make rules around deepfakes with a priority for elections and political ads. Meanwhile, media organizations like the BBC and Reuters are increasing investment in verification teams to debunk fake AI content.