Misinformation, Harmful Deepfakes To Influence Future Elections: Report

Adobe has released findings of its ‘Future of Trust Study’ for India, which surveyed over 2,000 Indians about their experience encountering misinformation online and concerns about the impact of generative AI. Tied to its work on responsible innovation, Adobe commissioned the study to understand public perceptions and sentiment about the societal impact of generative AI and misinformation, including its implications within the context of the ongoing elections in India. Among the findings, the study highlights a strong desire from consumers to have tools to verify the trustworthiness of digital content and the urgent need for proactive measures to address misinformation’s potential impact on election integrity in the country.

“We are excited about the potential for generative AI to enhance creativity and productivity, but it is also a transformational technology that demands thoughtful consideration of its societal impact. Our Future of Trust Study underscores the urgent need for media literacy campaigns to educate the consumers about the dangers of deepfakes and to empower them with tools to discern fact from fiction. With the ongoing elections, now is the time to embrace protective technologies like Content Credentials to rebuild trust in the digital ecosystem,” says Prativa Mohapatra, Vice President and Managing Director, Adobe India.

Key findings of the study include:

Misinformation is regarded as one of the biggest threats facing society - a concern that may be eroding trust in certain platforms where misinformation is spread.

· With misinformation becoming more prevalent, the study shows that 81 per cent of Indians fear that the content they consume online could be altered to fuel misinformation, while an equal percentage also said that it is becoming difficult to verify whether the content, they are consuming online is trustworthy.  

· Concerns about misinformation are also impacting consumer’s use of social media platforms with 45 per cent of Indians saying that they have stopped or curtailed their use of a specific social media platform due to the amount of misinformation on it.

Amidst a climate of eroding trust in digital content, Indians are concerned about protecting election integrity.

· In a year when over four billion people globally are expected to head to the polls, the study found that a significant number of Indians (86 per cent) believe that misinformation and harmful deepfakes will impact future elections.

· Without widespread tools to help them decide whether the online content they are consuming is true, a significant number of Indians (82 per cent) believe that election candidates should be prohibited from using generative AI in their promotional content.

· Most Indians (94 per cent) believe that governments and technology companies should work together to protect election integrity against the detrimental effects of deepfakes and misinformation.

Most Indians consider the credibility of a source before sharing content online but also believe that having the tools and media literacy skills to verify whether a content is true is important.

· Most Indians (92 per cent) believe that it is essential that they have the right tools to verify if online content is trustworthy.

· In addition, high percentage of Indians (93 per cent) agree that it is important to know if the content they are consuming is generated using AI.

· Concerns regarding misinformation are impacting how people think about its potential effect on children, with 94 per cent of Indians saying that children should be taught media literacy skills as part of their school curriculum.