Some interesting new research was recently published by AI experts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private university in Troy, New York. The work’s descriptive title is “When a story is breaking, AI can help consumers identify fake news: Early intervention with tailored messaging may stop the spread of misinformation.” Take a look at this excerpt from a Science Daily post about the research:

Warnings about misinformation are now regularly posted on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms, but not all of these cautions are created equal. New research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that artificial intelligence can help form accurate news assessments — but only when a news story is first emerging.

These findings were recently published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports by an interdisciplinary team of Rensselaer researchers. They found that AI-driven interventions are generally ineffective when used to flag issues with stories on frequently covered topics about which people have established beliefs, such as climate change and vaccinations.

Here is a video made by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers:

Also, see related Democracy Chronicles articles like those on the Journalism and Free Speech and Election History.