Misinformation and Disinformation

How AI Creates Convincing Fakes

• Text, images, audio, and video can now be faked convincingly
• Often easy to create with little technical knowledge
• Examples: Deepfakes during elections, fake news articles, synthetic media

Erosion of Trust

“Liar’s Dividend”: Real evidence can be dismissed as fake, making it harder to hold people accountable.

“Post-Truth” Environment: Emotions and beliefs can override facts when determining what people accept as true.

AI “Sycophancy”: AI tools that tell users what they want to hear compound the problem.

Libraries as Trusted Information Hubs

• 89% of Canadians trust libraries for digital literacy
• Libraries can build critical thinking skills for the AI age
• Librarians are trained in information evaluation — a skill more valuable than ever

What Libraries Can Do

• Teach source verification strategies
• Demonstrate how to identify AI-generated content
• Promote media literacy programs
• Serve as trusted sources of accurate information

Video content coming soon – placeholder for video embed