This blog post is the first in a series highlighting the work of the 2024 Charles F. Kettering Global Fellows for Advancing Inclusive Democracies. CFK Global Fellows is an initiative of the Democracy around the Globe focus area with the goal of fostering an international community of partners to promote and defend inclusive democracies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become ubiquitous in our daily lives. While this technology provides benefits in many fields, when it comes to digital media, the situation is not as simple. Disinformation has become a problem worldwide. With the use of AI, the creation and distribution of manipulated information has accelerated. This is just one reason that the work of people like Matei Vrabie is critical today. Vrabie, a 2024 Charles F. Kettering Global Fellow for Advancing Inclusive Democracies, works at the intersection of technology and civil society to counter disinformation.

Vrabie’s fellowship project complemented the work he does as a project manager at Funky Citizens, a civil society organization in Romania. Given the significant number of elections held around the world in 2024, including in his home country, Vrabie focused on efforts that would help voters make educated decisions. His first line of work addressed countering disinformation by promoting media literacy—that is, teaching people to analyze the information that they read online. The second part of this work consisted of strategic initiatives that helped readers recognize and resist, or “prebunk,” disinformation.

Another part of the project was a curated interactive exhibit that explained disinformation and how it works. Visitors learned how to create their own deepfakes, which allowed them to see how easy it was to manipulate images and produce fake information. He also led a training session to help high school students learn how to counter disinformation and misinformation by recognizing false or misleading information.

Additionally, Vrabie generated an online educational program called Civic Challenge. People who signed up for the program received AI-manipulated images each week. This recurring activity helped people discern the misleading aspects of AI-generated images and gave them strategies to use when viewing online media in the future.

To expand the outreach, he gathered these digital literacy skills and strategies into a Verification Kit. This reference contains tips for the careful review of media postings, such as the Five Cs of verification presented below:

• Context—Where was the piece written? Where does the information originate? Have events changed? Are there new facts?
• Credibility—Check the source’s credibility. Are credible sources cited? Is it an advertisement posing as news?
• Construction—Analyze the structure of the article. Is there bias? Does it use propaganda techniques? Are there facts or just speculations?
• Corroboration—Check other credible news sources. Is this the only source making the claim?
• Comparison—Find other credible news sources for different perspectives. What is the broader picture of what is happening?

Vrabie notes that “deepfakes have alarming implications, especially in politics and social media, where they can influence public opinion, disrupt elections, or discredit individuals. Bots and trolls amplify disinformation by manipulating online discussions and creating an illusion of widespread opinion.” Because of the relentless flood of online information and the negative influence that AI can have, increasing digital literacy is not only helpful but also essential.

Lisa Boone-Berry is the content development specialist for Democracy around the Globe.

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The Charles F. Kettering Global Fellowship for Advancing Inclusive Democracies is a six-month program designed to promote leadership in global civil society and to nurture and support those working to build inclusive democracies around the world.