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FERMI webinar 04/12/2024
4 minutes

On Wednesday, 04 December 2024, Convergence, the assigned SSH expert of Horizon Europe project FERMI, organised and hosted a webinar titled: “Digital Trust in Action: Technological Approaches and Citizen Empowerment to Combat Disinformation”. 

This webinar aimed to provide an insight into FERMI’s technological tools, while also exploring disinformation and the importance of digital literacy. Discussions also focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it helps both spread and counter disinformation.

Nikos Dimakopoulos, Senior Project Manager at project partner ITML, provided an insightful presentation of FERMI’s integrated platform which uses AI-powered modules to identify and analyse disinformation sources, and predict crime impacts, while it encompasses, a behaviour profiler, a sentiment analyser, and a swarm learning module. The three use cases demonstrating the platform's functionality—far-right political extremism, health crises, and far-left extremism—have also been shown. The participants were given the opportunity to get a first glimpse of the final output, a refined platform for law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to combat disinformation.

David Timis, AI and Future of Work expert with over a decade of experience across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, through a fireside chat, focused on digital literacy, the impact of AI as well as skills needed for the future of work. Digital literacy was defined not just as technical proficiency, but crucially as the ethical and responsible use of digital tools, combating misinformation and disinformation. The increasing capabilities of AI were highlighted, and the speaker advocated for increased investment in AI safety by tech companies and governments, alongside the development of critical thinking and synthesis skills as essential for navigating the evolving digital landscape. Finally, the discussion emphasised the importance of holistic reskilling programmes, connecting skills training with job placement, to prepare individuals for the future of work.

Key Highlights

Disinformation: The growing danger of disinformation was emphasised, particularly its potential to provoke offline crimes and manipulate public opinion.

Digital literacy and critical thinking: The experts, stressed the need for individuals to develop digital literacy skills, and critical thinking, to navigate the digital landscape safely and responsibly. These skills are crucial for identifying and mitigating the influence of disinformation.

AI capabilities: It was highlighted that AI is exploited to create and spread disinformation (e.g. with deep fakes) but on the other hand provides great opportunities and it can be used as tool for combating this thread. The FERMI platform leverages AI modules to analyse disinformation spread, predict its impact on crime rates, and recommend countermeasures.

The need for collaboration and upskilling: Both sources advocate for collaboration between tech companies, governments, and civil society to create a more resilient digital ecosystem. They emphasise the need for upskilling initiatives, particularly for vulnerable populations, to equip individuals with the necessary skills for the future of work. 

During the webinar the interconnectedness of disinformation, AI, and the needed digital skills was illuminated. Insights revolved around both using a proactive, collaborative approach to tackling disinformation using AI (FERMI’s tools) as well as the individual skills and societal shifts needed to create a more resilient digital environment.

Interactive Q&A

During the Q&A participants were given the opportunity to actively engage with the speakers. Targeted questions were asked, indicatively regarding practical steps that citizens can take to address disinformation and responsible use of AI, as well as the correlation between digital literacy and critical thinking. 

Reflections

The two surveys realised before and after the webinar, highlight the effectiveness of the activity, as a visible improvement in the understanding of the concepts discussed is outlined.

This webinar presented the FERMI project, with its AI-powered modules designed to combat disinformation, which could be an important tool in building a more trustworthy digital environment. However, as highlighted during the presentations, the efficacy of such tools is contingent upon users possessing the digital literacy required to interpret the platform's outputs effectively. This underscores the importance of fostering critical thinking skills and promoting wider societal understanding of AI and its capabilities. While AI presents a powerful means of combating disinformation, it simultaneously enables the creation of increasingly complicated forms of misinformation, such as deepfakes. This duality highlights the need for comprehensive digital upskilling programmes that not only equip individuals with technical skills but also cultivate the critical thinking required to navigate a complex digital landscape.