AI-generated fake news could fool 48% of Canadians: survey

One-half of Canadians admit they may be fooled by AI-generated fake news.

This is one of the findings from a recent survey from The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) released  yesterday (Oct. 23).

Conducted by Maru Public Opinion, the survey also highlights significant intergenerational differences and explores Canadians’ views on the regulation of companies utilizing AI technology.

Half (48 per cent) of Canadians admit that they are not confident in their own ability to distinguish the difference between online/social media content generated by AI versus content created by humans, the survey found.

Intergenerationally, those most likely to admit this are:

• Boomers (aged 59+ 54 per cent)
• Gen X (aged 43 to 58 52 per cent)
• Millennials (aged 27 to 42 41 per cent)
• Gen Z (aged 18 to 26 37 per cent)

The survey also found a majority (58 per cent) of Canadians believe they have personally encountered misleading or false online/social media information in the past six months that was generated by AI.

And, a majority (71 per cent), say governments will not be able to regulate companies that generate AI content for online/social media use.

“When half the Canadian public is challenged on deciding what’s real and not, the credibility of both journalism and media outlets has never mattered more,” says John Wright, executive vice president of Maru Public Opinion. “Without a reliable anchor for truth in this incredible sea change, online deception will easily distort reality, wreaking confusion and skepticism everywhere.”

Canadians are starting to identify and understand the risks of AI-generated misinformation, said CJF board member Kathy English. English represents the CJF on an international committee chaired by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa to develop a global charter aimed at regulating the use of AI in media.

“With these perilous new threats to the integrity of information, it is imperative that Canadians of all ages comprehend the importance of news and information from credible sources,” English said.

News literacy is more important than ever.

“The CJF is committed to serving as a driving force for advancing news literacy skills and critical thinking to enhance public understanding of the media and also to nurture trust between Canadians and their news sources,” said Natalie Turvey, CJF president and executive director.

The full survey results can be found here.

For this study, Maru Public Opinion contacted a random selection of 1,525 Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada panelists. The estimated margin of error on a sample this size is +/- 2.5 per cent 19 times out of 20.