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Panel co-chair warns AI-driven misinformation and platform concentration threaten journalism and democratic trust
Summary
Co-chair Maria Resa told the UN briefing that AI can accelerate disinformation and erode trust, underscoring risks to journalism and democracy and calling for transparency and independent assessment to protect information ecosystems.
Maria Resa, co-chair of the Independent Scientific Panel on AI, told a United Nations briefing that the panel's evidence shows generative AI can accelerate the spread of falsehoods, with implications for journalism and democratic institutions.
Resa said a "lie told a million times becomes a fact" and warned generative AI multiplies that effect by producing faster, cheaper, and more personalized misinformation. She linked those dynamics to the erosion of shared reality and said the panel's report describes the risks with supporting evidence.
During questions from journalists, Resa cited research on newsroom closures and distributional changes in media: "The Medill report from Northwestern last year said more than two news organizations closed every week," she said, arguing that accountability for distribution platforms and transparency about systems are central to protecting journalism.
Panelists recommended transparency measures—independent third-party assessment, incident reporting, and technical support for regulators—to improve oversight of high-risk deployments and to help citizens and journalists hold powerful developers and platforms to account.
The co-chairs emphasized that the panel's role is to present evidence; policy options will be taken up by member states at the Geneva global dialogue on July 6–7.
