July 14, 2025
Bulletin recently published an article featuring Marshall Van Alstyne, Allen and Kelli Professor of Information Systems, discussing how AI is accelerating the spread of misinformation, outpacing journalism and polluting the broader information ecosystem.
With generative AI dramatically lowering the cost of creating false content, fake news now floods the internet, even making its way into reputable outlets. While some solutions aim to curb the supply, such as tightening journalistic standards or using detection tools, Van Alstyne emphasizes that the demand side, fueled by distrust and partisanship, is equally important. Studies show misinformation tends to take hold among small, highly motivated groups rather than the general public.
That makes technological detection alone an uphill battle. “If you’re trying to detect fake news or misinformation, then there’re always ways to detect the detector and avoid detection,” Van Alstyne explains.
He and other experts argue that disrupting the misinformation feedback loop requires more than technical fixes, it calls for strategies that build trust, foster media literacy, and shift the emotional appeal of false narratives toward more constructive truths.
