Canadian Researchers Develop AI Tool to Combat Online Disinformation

Researchers at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research have developed an enhanced artificial intelligence system designed to combat the growing threat of online disinformation targeting Canadians. The tool, called CIPHER, now employs AI technology to more effectively identify and debunk false and misleading claims circulating online.

Brian McQuinn, an associate professor at the University of Regina and one of the project’s leads, explained that the technology currently focuses on analyzing Russian disinformation campaigns but will soon expand to include content in Chinese languages, with potential to monitor misleading information originating from the United States as well.

“Russia was the main threat targeting Canada most generally,” McQuinn said in a recent interview. “We are now beginning to shift.”

The system works by scanning foreign media sites for dubious claims, which are then verified by human fact-checkers. McQuinn cited a recent example where CIPHER identified a Russian media outlet falsely reporting that Alberta is moving toward independence – a claim that distorts reality by taking kernels of truth about separatist activities and misrepresenting them as an official independence process.

CIPHER was launched three years ago following research that uncovered pro-Kremlin social media accounts targeting both far-right and far-left groups in Canada with false narratives about the war in Ukraine. These included baseless claims that Russia invaded to eliminate a neo-Nazi regime and that Ukraine had sought nuclear weapons.

“Effective disinformation often has kernels of truth in it,” McQuinn noted.

According to McQuinn, the primary goal of disinformation campaigns is to fragment societies and potentially incite violence. These campaigns become particularly effective when ordinary people share misleading content with their social networks.

“It is essential for China and for Russia, especially, to show that it looks like the Western project is decaying, is falling apart economically, politically, socially,” McQuinn explained.

The researcher also highlighted the increasing role of the United States as a source of disinformation affecting Canadians, noting that most Canadian social media discourse occurs on U.S. platforms. “We have seen that Canadian news and certain types of Canadian content are being downgraded and throttled within these algorithms,” he said.

While artificial intelligence has contributed significantly to the proliferation of disinformation on social media, McQuinn emphasized that CIPHER needed to harness the same technology to make debunking efforts more efficient. “We are in an AI arms race around disinformation,” he observed.

Currently, the tool is being utilized by DisinfoWatch, an organization dedicated to exposing falsehoods to Canadians. Marcus Kolga, DisinfoWatch’s founder, has called for stronger legislation and regulations on digital media platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation.

“Us doing it alone is not sufficient enough. It requires technology and for us to harness existing technologies in order to sort of make up that gap that we have,” Kolga said.

McQuinn revealed that discussions with government agencies about implementing CIPHER are underway, though he declined to provide specific details. The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research has received funding support from both federal and Alberta governments.

For everyday Canadians navigating social media, McQuinn offered simple advice to help stem the tide of disinformation: pause before sharing content online. “If I’m going to forward something, what am I forwarding?” he said. “The research has shown if you just take like an extra 10 seconds, the amount of disinformation that gets transferred is significantly less.”

As disinformation techniques continue to evolve with technology, tools like CIPHER represent important countermeasures in preserving information integrity and protecting democratic discourse from foreign interference.