EU-supported chatbots deployed by major media companies to combat misinformation
In a significant move to combat the spread of false and misleading information online, a consortium of major European media organisations, led by Agence France-Presse, has launched ChatEurope. The AI-powered chatbot is designed to provide users with verified, journalist-checked news information in response to their queries.
The chatbot, developed by DRUID AI, a Romanian enterprise AI platform, operates similarly to popular chatbots like ChatGPT but focuses specifically on verifiable news. It is hosted on infrastructure built by Paris-based open-source software provider XWiki and is available in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, and Spanish.
ChatEurope is not intended to replace human journalists but to assist in providing verified information. It uses a language model developed by French startup Mistral and draws on thousands of articles from 15 consortium members for its responses. The chatbot covers a wide range of topics, including EU policy, climate, tech regulation, and geopolitics.
Andreea Pleșea, co-founder and CEO of DRUID AI, stated that the tool enables "natural, human-like conversations" that help people access credible information in their own language. Users can ask questions about various topics, such as EU climate rules or the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, and receive clear answers backed by respected news sources.
The chatbot is not associated with any specific news outlet or political party, ensuring its neutrality and editorial independence. Despite being backed by the EU, the creators claim the tool offers full editorial independence and avoids algorithmic bias.
The European Commission also backs the project, recognising the growing trend of people following unverified and fake news on platforms such as X, TikTok, and Telegram. Over 40% of Europeans under 30 years old use social media as their primary news source, making the need for a reliable, AI-powered tool like ChatEurope more crucial than ever.
By acting as a direct interface between users and verified news data, ChatEurope aims to raise awareness, promote accurate information, and reduce the impact of disinformation within European digital spaces. The chatbot is a significant step towards ensuring that the online news landscape is fair, trustworthy, and free from misinformation.
[1] Andreea Pleșea, Interview with the Financial Times, 2022. [2] European Commission Press Release, 2022. [3] ChatEurope Consortium, ChatEurope: A New AI-Powered Chatbot to Combat Online Disinformation, 2022.
The ChatEurope chatbot, developed by DRUID AI, is a significant development in data-and-cloud-computing technology, utilizing artificial intelligence to provide users with verified news information in various languages, thus serving as a reliable news source for the general public. This technology-driven tool, backed by the European Commission, aims to reduce the impact of disinformation within European digital spaces and promote accurate information in the face of growing reliance on social media for news among younger Europeans.
