Rana Arafat on AI Manipulation, Disinformation and Algorithmic Bias during India’s 2024 Elections and the Israel-Gaza War

We usually talk about biased data and inaccurate interpretations regarding technology that comes from the East, China for example. Yet we rarely discuss the lack of transparency and biased data produced by Western tech companies.

So it was refreshing to have this conversation with Rana Arafat, Assistant Professor in Digital Journalism at City, University of London.

How are Arab newsrooms, especially in Egypt, Lebanon and the UAE, adapting to generative AI technologies? How do the governments of these countries regulate and control AI technology, and how do Big Tech companies operate in authoritarian countries in the Middle East?

In this new episode of AI-FLUENT, we also discussed Indian Elections and the Israel-Gaza War through the lens of AI manipulation, disinformation and algorithmic bias.

 

Main Topics We Discussed in This Episode:

• The most surprising discovery for Rana whilst researching AI manipulation, generative disinformation, and algorithmic bias in the Global South
• How technology in authoritarian countries oppresses people more than empowers them
• The governments' involvement in regulating and controlling generative AI technology. The Saudi government, for example, has its own chatbot, as does the UAE government. How unbiased is their data?
• The importance of cross-pollination between journalists, developers, product designers, etc.
• Rana specifically examined Egyptian, Lebanese and United Arab Emirates newsrooms on three levels: narrative, practice and technological infrastructure. What did she discover about all three levels?
• How Big Tech companies operate in authoritarian countries in the Middle East
• Regarding algorithmic bias - how Rana researched it and her most important findings
• Algorithms as a form of censorship
• What shadowbanning is and how it was used during the Israel-Palestine war
• How pro-Palestinian content creators tried to evade social media algorithms
• The Indian elections and how generative AI technology was used and misused during the 2024 elections
• How we as a media industry and society can protect ourselves from technology which, as we see, can be used as a weapon of propaganda and misinformation. What are possible solutions?
• Regarding the teaching of future journalists - what's missing in the current education system? Is it keeping pace with all the rapid changes in the tech and media industry?