The Centre for Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (CD2I) conducts academic and policy-relevant research on the ongoing digital transformation of society. One research priority pertains to Political Disinformation in a Digital Context.
In this priority, we focus on the (ab)use of digital tools to spread disinformation for political purposes. We analyse the topic from multiple complementary angles, including how disinformation influences political trust, foreign policy-making, and regulation of tech platforms. We also investigate the potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence (AI) in this context.
In addition to our coordinating role on the European Digital Media Observatory for Belgium and Luxembourg, we have the privilege to participate in three upcoming Horizon Europe projects, related to the potential of AI to combat disinformation, the impact of social media on democracy, and the resilience of media in the digital age.
- AI for Citizen Intelligent Coaching against Disinformation (TITAN) will investigate the use of AI to combat disinformation. TITAN will deliver AI-driven, intuitive and personalised ‘question-and-response’ coaching to empower the citizen to conduct effective and efficient investigations for understanding whether statements are true. Our team is responsible for the ethical and legal frameworks and impact assessments of the implementation of AI against disinformation.
- Social Media for Democracy – understanding the causal mechanisms of digital citizenship (SoMe4Dem) will provide empirical evidence for the impact of social media on democracy, better understanding of the main causal mechanisms of this impact, and develop tools that improve the capacity of social media to contribute to the functioning of the public arena in a liberal democracy. Our team is responsible for devising methods that enable the study of online narratives in relation to platform affordances and governance.
- Resilient Media for Democracy in the Digital Age (ReMeD) will tackle existing challenges to a healthy relationship between media and democracy. Working with professional journalists, alternative media content producers and citizens, ReMEd will co-produce knowledge and solutions to improve relations between citizens, media and digital technologies and contribute to the creation of resilient democratic media. Our team will mainly work on journalistic education, professionalisation and ethical standards, as well as media law and regulations for diversity and pluralism.
All three Horizon Europe projects will start in the coming months and last until the end of 2025.
