disinformation Not only does it try to impose one narrative on another, but it also makes the recipient doubt everything. A psychological study published this Wednesday that focuses on war between Russia And Ukraine suggests that it is becoming more common fake videos Concerns about conflict have weakened the trust of many users, creating an “unhealthy skepticism” that leaves them unable to distinguish fact from fiction.
This empirical analysis claims to be the first to evaluate “use”.deepfakes‘Misinformation and propaganda The document was signed by researchers from the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork in Ireland, who examined almost 5,000 messages posted on X (the social network formerly known as Twitter) during the first seven months of the war. conflict. .
Its main consequence is the proliferation of ‘deepfakes’; artificial intelligence imitating a person’s face or voice weakens user trust “To the point where they lose confidence in any images coming from the conflict.” Therefore, it warrants that some consider the actual content shared by many media outlets to be false.
doubt everything
Among the analyzed messages, notorious manipulations such as the impersonation of the Russian President stand out. Vladimir PutinUkrainian president announcing a peace treaty or other agreement Volodymyr Zelensky to give up. Although neither of these cases existed, both were relatively convincing at first glance. In another case, artificial intelligence He allowed many deputies and mayors of cities such as Madrid, Berlin and Vienna to be deceived.
Study shows this was the first conflict in which it was used in conflict in Eastern Europe technology as a weapon, a device that also gives wings to those that emit conspiracy theories. It also warns that there is a lack of literacy about what a ‘deepfake’ is, but that efforts by some journalists to cover and raise awareness of the phenomenon could “undermine trust in legitimate videos.”
“Once again, Journalism must play an important role in bringing reality to the audience“We are trying to overcome the obstacle of such narratives produced for misinformation,” says Ángel Vizoso, professor of the Department of Communication Sciences and researcher of the Novos Medios Group at the University of Santiago de Compostela. It would be interesting to proceed on three fronts: research, development of tools for verification of these elements, and of course knowledge and explanation of everything that is wrong with them.
The study was published in PLOS ONE, a scientific journal of the Public Library of Science in San Francisco.