This course aims to introduce students to the influences digital technologies on society. More particularly, this year the course will focus on the dynamic interplay between disinformation and society, particularly during political campaigns. As digital technologies continue to shape the political landscape, the spread of disinformation poses significant challenges to democracies worldwide. Students will explore the mechanisms and impacts of false information dissemination on social media platforms, examining the sophisticated techniques employed to create and spread disinformation.
A key focus will be on disinformation related to elections, analyzing recent political campaigns to understand the strategies behind these efforts. The course also investigates the dual role of artificial intelligence in both generating and combating multimodal disinformation, including text, image, video, and audio. We will discuss the ethical, fairness, and transparency concerns that arise from the use of AI in this context and explore strategies for identifying and neutralizing false information at scale.
By engaging with these topics, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the societal, political, and economic implications of disinformation in the digital age, equipping them with the critical skills necessary to navigate an increasingly complex digital era.