Misinformation powered by AI is the world’s biggest short-term threat, says World Economic Forum report

In its latest Global Risks Report, the World Economic Forum (WEF) identifies the dissemination of false and misleading information, fueled by cutting-edge AI, as the most immediate risk to the global economy.

The report, released ahead of the annual Davos meetings, underscores the potential threat to democracy and social cohesion posed by AI-driven misinformation and disinformation.

The report ranks misinformation and disinformation as the most severe risks over the next two years, highlighting the rapid technological advancements that exacerbate existing challenges or create new ones.

The proliferation of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, raises concerns about the ease with which sophisticated synthetic content can be used to manipulate large groups of people, extending beyond those with specialized skills.

The Davos meetings are expected to delve into AI as a major topic, with industry leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, in attendance.

The report warns that AI-powered misinformation emerges at a critical time, coinciding with numerous elections globally, including major economies like the United States, Britain, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Pakistan.

Carolina Klint, a risk management leader at Marsh, and one of the report’s co-authors, emphasizes the potential societal consequences, stating that AI-driven misinformation could deepen societal polarization and erode democratic processes.

The use of AI in creating deepfakes and manipulating information raises the risk of questioning the legitimacy of elected governments.

The rise of AI introduces additional risks, empowering malicious actors to conduct cyberattacks more efficiently, automate phishing attempts, and create advanced malware.

Klint notes that the potential for poisoning data scraped from the internet for AI training poses challenges in reversing biases embedded in AI models.

While climate change ranks as a major concern, extreme weather emerges as the second-most-pressing short-term risk in the report.

In the long term which they define as 10 years, extreme weather tops the list, followed by critical changes to Earth systems, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and natural resource shortages.

The report underscores the urgency of addressing AI-related risks and the potential for irreversible climate change tipping points in the coming decade.

The intersection of AI, misinformation, and environmental challenges demands a proactive and collaborative approach from global leaders and policymakers.

(With inputs from agencies)