AI-Powered Misinformation a Serious Threat — WEF Report

One of the critical conversations that is taking place globally is the impact of AI-generated misinformation. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) latest Global Risks Report, reveals the immediate and long-term effect of such misinformation and disinformation on the global economy.

WEF conducted a Global Risks Perception Survey, gathering input from 1,490 experts spanning academia, business, government, and the international community. According to the survey, 53% of respondents identified AI-generated misinformation and disinformation as one of the risks with a high likelihood of causing a "material crisis" in the short term.

Now that we have seen the intense growth of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Bard, the report expresses concerns that their ability to create sophisticated “synthetic content” will no longer be confined to individuals with specialized skills and can be easily “manipulated”.

The risk of misinformation and disinformation is interconnected with various global issues like societal polarization, erosion of human rights, armed conflict, and violence. This becomes more pressing for global economies that are preparing for elections, for example USA, Britain, and India.