The AI4Debunk consortium kicked off its third General Assembly on September 4 and 5, 2025, at the MICC – Media Integration and Communication Center at the University of Florence, Italy. The meeting started with guest speakers, providing external insights that set the momentum for the two days of work aimed at strengthening the fight against online disinformation using AI.
Guest Speakers set the Stage
The morning of the first day was packed with insights from three guest speakers, hosted by our partners at the MICC:
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Prof. Alberto Del Bimbo (Emeritus Professor, University of Florence, and former MICC Director) shared expertise on “Artificial Intelligence and Fake Information.”
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Dr. Matteo Scianna (AI4Trust Project Research Group) highlighted the “Challenges and Results of the AI4Trust Project and the Importance of Collaboration in the AI Against Disinformation Cluster.”
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Dr. Syed Mafiz Kamal (European University Institute) discussed “Digital Falsehoods and Youth: Policy Agility Beyond AI.”
These talks sparked conversations across technology, policy, and social science, giving the consortium partners the foundational knowledge and momentum needed to dive into the core AI4Debunk work.
Core Discussions and Technological Progress
Following the symposium, partners across disciplines gathered for the General Assembly to review project progress and align on next steps. The focus was on developing impactful, trustworthy solutions by combining cross-disciplinary expertise.
Key areas of focus included:
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Multidisciplinary Insights: Sessions featured presentations and discussions on topics such as current disinformation trends and youth, the role of trust and explainability in AI-driven tools, and the gender and social dimensions within AI research.
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Technological Advancement: Discussions by the Innovation Management Team focused on fine-tuning the AI technology to better target audiences of disinformation. This includes enhancements to core tools like similarity search and deepfake detection.
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Future Roadmap: A path was set for the next six months and beyond, discussing how to adapt to emerging threats and seamlessly integrate new datasets into the project’s foundational technology.
The Assembly concluded after two days of collaboration. A big thank you to the University of Florence’s MICC for their generous hospitality and to all partners and speakers for their energy and valuable contributions! We are excited as we continue to build powerful tools against disinformation.
