Democracy at threat from mis- & disinformation, India at highest risk
The ‘Global Risks Report 2024’ (GRR), released at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday, January 10 has emphasised the immediate threat posed to the global economy by fake and deceptive content generated by AI, which can erode democracy and polarise society.
Drawing on input from nearly 1,500 experts, industry leaders and policymakers, the report was unveiled just before the annual gathering of CEOs and world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, slated for next week.
The report documents 34 Global Risks (categorised under four heads – Economic, Environmental, Geopolitical, Societal and Geopolitical), drawing on the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS), which has underpinned the GRR for nearly two decades and is the WEF’s main source of original global risks data.
The document says that ‘AI-generated misinformation and disinformation’ represents the second-most severe risk in the coming years (coming only after climate change), pointing out how emerging technologies could intensify existing challenges and give rise to new ones.
It also says that misinformation and disinformation are not just political, but other risks can also lead to them being spread.
While misinformation refers to the spreading of inaccurate information out of genuine belief, sometimes leading to harm, as seen with certain conspiracy theories, disinformation involves deliberate attempts to mislead the audience.
And, maybe not so surprisingly, considering the amount of both we have seen in India over the past decade (fake news being the most widely seen manifestation of then), they together pose the greatest risk in India. The reason for the risk being so high in the immediate future as per the report. is the upcoming general election, when considering the fact that there is 50 per cent internet penetration, which is a large number considering the huge population: “Over 1.4bn (nearly 50% internet penetration) head for a general election in April-May 2024”, says the report.
On the other hand, among the big democratic countries/regions, ‘misinformation and disinformation’ is the sixth highest risk in USA, eighth in the European Union, 11th in the UK and Mexico, 18th in Indonesia and 22nd in South Africa.
In the report, misinformation and disinformation are characterised as enduring false information, whether intentional or unintentional, disseminated extensively through media networks, which have the substantial impact of fostering public distrust in facts and authority. They encompasses various forms such as false, imposter, manipulated and fabricated content, among others.
While countries take steps to control the spread of misinformation and disinformation, the report says that democracies could also be at risk “from extensive exercises of government control or due to trade-offs between managing mis- and disinformation and protecting free speech”.
As an example, it refers to Twitter’s and YouTube’s agreeing to the Indian government’s request in January last year “to remove links to a BBC documentary” critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The report expresses concern over the accessibility of AI tools as they can be wielded by individuals without specialised knowledge, amplifying the potential impact on a global scale.
