The document discusses the limitations and risks of utilizing AI in fact-checking, highlighting the need for human oversight and effective appeal processes. It emphasizes a balanced approach to automation, stressing the importance of transparency in AI decision-making and the safeguarding of freedom of expression. Recommendations include improving detection of misinformation, promoting equitable access to data, and ensuring global implementation of such measures.

1. LIMITS AND RISKS OF USING AI FOR FACT-CHECKING:
QUESTIONS OF EFFECTIVENESS AND LEGALITY OF AI-DRIVEN
DISINFORMATION DETECTION AND MODERATION
EDMO workshop, 17 February 2021
Kalina Bontcheva
K.Bontcheva@sheffield.ac.uk
@kbontcheva

2. WeVerify: AI Tools for Content Verification
➢ Key is not only whether a claim true or false, but also:
• Who is spreading it?
• Are people believing it?
• Stance: support, deny, question, comment
• Do we need to debunk it or not?
➢ Assist journalists through automated analysis embedded in user-friendly tools
➢ WeVerify Browser Plugin (+40k users); DBKF; TrulyMedia
www.weverify.eu
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3. TRULY MEDIA: EDMO’S TECHNOLOGICAL PLATFORM
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4. FREELY AVAILABLE INVID-WEVERIFY VERIFICATION PLUG-IN
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5. 5
Can fact-checkers trust reverse image search?
Credit: Denis Teyssou (AFP)

6. FINDING ALREADY DEBUNKED CONTENT
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https://www.snopes.com/fact-check
/osama-death-photos/

7. WEVERIFY: WISDOM OF THE CROWD + SPEED OF AI
ARE PEOPLE BELIEVING THE
MISINFO?

8. BALANCING ACT: ALGORITHMS AND FOE
Bias; errors; need continuous update; minority languages suffer

9. The Pandemic Era of Automated Moderation
➢ With COVID-19 internet communications platforms increased reliance on
automation
➢ Risks:
• Fully automated solutions pose a danger to FoE
• Need of effective appeal process
• Need for human oversight/curation
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10. Balancing Act: Selected Recommendations
➢ 23-step Freedom of Expression Assessment Framework of disinfo responses
➢ Focus on curation to ensure that users can easily access journalism as verified
information shared in the public interest and avoid over reliance on automation
➢ Work to boost the visibility of credible news content and financially compensate
news producers
➢ Significantly improve technological abilities to detect and limit the circulation
and amplification of false and misleading content, while respecting FoE
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11. Balancing Act: Selected Recommendations (2)
➢ Implement transparency of AI decision making, especially on platforms where it
is used for content moderation
➢ Promote privacy-preserving, equitable access to key data from internet
communications companies, to enable algo-transparency
➢ Support transparent social media councils and/or national ombuds facilities
• Help give users recourse to independent arbitration and appeals against
moderation steps perceived to be unfair
➢ Implement responses on a global scale, rather than being limited to certain
countries
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12. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
www.weverify.eu
@WeVerify
Thanks to the WeVerify team!