Canadians Struggle to Spot Misleading AI-Generated Content, New Study Reveals

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In a revealing new study, it seems a significant number of Canadians have encountered and struggled to identify misleading content on social media that was generated by artificial intelligence. This issue was prevalent despite the respondent’s age or level of education, sowing a growing distrust of the authenticity of content in digital spaces.

The investigation, overseen by the Canadian Journalism Foundation, brought together feedback from over 1,500 Canadians regarding their exposure to and concerns about AI-created content on social media platforms. Interestingly, younger respondents were more likely to have noticed AI-created content compared to older demographics.


This concerning trend has significant implications for the credibility of journalism and the media at large. Without a solid basis for trusting the information they encounter, Canadians are left at the mercy of a tidal wave of potential deception, which could warp their understanding of reality and foster an environment rife with skepticism.

Approximately 74% of Gen Z respondents reported having directly faced misleading AI-generated content on social media within the past half-year. This decreases to 63% for millennials and 53% for both Gen X and boomer participants.

Individuals in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, as well as highly-educated respondents, were more likely to have observed the intrusion of such AI-driven fake news.

Despite this alarming revelation, nearly half of the Canadians surveyed confessed they were not confident about differentiating between AI-generated and human-produced content. This uncertainty was more prevalent among older respondents and women.

The uncontrolled spread of AI-generated fake news on platforms where a majority obtains their news is cause for concern among journalism organizations and advocates for responsible information dissemination. Current measures call for enhanced news literacy and critical thinking skills to improve public trust in media and news sources.

An emerging trend, deepfakes, which use someone else’s likeness – usually a celebrity’s or media personality’s – are also being used to generate deceitful information and influence public outlook. However, it appears Canadians are adapting to these new threats and recognize the need for reliable sources of information to guarantee the integrity of the news.

Most respondents displayed skepticism towards the effectiveness of government regulation for AI, expressing doubt that authorities could exert sufficient control over this technology. This sentiment was strongest among the older segment, although millennials weren’t far behind in showcasing their skepticism.

Efforts are indeed underway to regulate AI. For instance, the European Union declared that AI usage within its member states would be governed by the AI Act, which it describes as the world’s inaugural regulation framing AI creation and usage. Canada, meanwhile, has Bill C-27, which aims to set up responsibility requirements for AI systems to prevent them from causing serious harm to Canadians.

A notable finding amidst this skepticism and uncertainty is that an adventurous one-fifth of the Canadians surveyed shared that they were venturing into producing AI content for educational, professional, or personal purposes. It appears that while Canadians are cautious about the impact of AI, they are not shying away from utilizing this technology. This signals a positive shift towards understanding and assimilating AI in their daily lives, thus shaping a more informed and better-prepared populace for the technology-driven future.