Technology Media and Communications Speaker Series: AI + Disinformation in Elections

In the digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) and disinformation are potent forces reshaping the landscape of electoral integrity and democratic processes worldwide. 

SIPA’s Technology, Media, and Communications (TMaC) concentration, which has been led by Professor Anya Schiffrin since 2003, has broadened its focus to consider technology’s impact on institutions and policy-driven solutions. In the spring semester, Schriffrin taught the Policy Solutions for Mis/Disinformation course focused on technology and elections. TMaC’s recently concluded spring speaker series – “AI + Disinformation in Elections” – extended that theme beyond the classroom.

Four dynamic speakers, each with unique approaches to understanding misinformation and disinformation, as well as how AI affects people and businesses, spoke between January 30 and April 24.

Santiago Lyon, head of advocacy and education for the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative, kicked off the series on January 30. The Initiative is a consortium of nongovernmental organizations, technology companies, media enterprises, academics, and others that collaborate to promote industry guidelines for content provenance. 

Lyon discussed his efforts to fight against misinformation — including the addition to digital content of metadata that informs consumers of the content’s history. This work coincides with several bills proposed by California lawmakers to regulate AI. The bills, Lyon said, should push businesses to comply with the authentication of content. 

Mutale Nkonde, CEO of AI for the People, spoke on February 21 about the impact of political disinformation on Black Americans during the election year. Nkonde’s talk centered around her interest in algorithmic actors involved in the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. 

“One of the most exciting things about coming to speak to students at SIPA is that they have a policy orientation,” said Nkonde, who is an MA student in American Studies at Columbia. “As they’re thinking about their lives after graduation, they’re really looking to social media companies and really looking at ways to get involved. Really looking to the government, who are trying to figure out how we regulate these technologies. And of course looking to civil society and academia because we don’t have enough research and the folks at SIPA are well situated to help move us forward.” 

Tim Decker, head of North American Incident Management for Global Trust & Safety at TikTok, spoke on February 28 about developing a policy enforcement team filled with experts specializing in safeguarding TikTok. This talk was moderated by Emily Bell – founding director of the University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism – who relied on her expertise in digital journalism to ask thought-provoking questions.

Decker discussed his experience working in the trust and safety industry, noting growing pains within the election integrity sector. “Transparency is the only way to make real change,” he said.

The series concluded on April 25 by welcoming Laura Zommer, the CEO of Factchequeado, a disinformation verification initiative. Her company is the first fact-checking project in the Global South.

Zommer said she was inspired to start the initiative in 2022, after noticing how disinformation within the Spanish-speaking community revolves around different social media sites. “If the problem is big in English,” Zommer said, “know that the problem is much bigger in other languages.”

In aggregate, the four talks helped interested students understand how technology companies are addressing the information integrity problems they see online.

TMaC’s next speaker series will take place this fall, Schiffrin said, with a focus on the US presidential election.