About
In 2024, the World Economic Forum identified the spread of false and misleading information as the greatest threat to the stability of democracies worldwide. Addressing this urgent challenge requires advanced technological solutions to counter disinformation and fake news. To meet this need, the Shamgar Center for Digital Law and Innovation at Tel Aviv University, Microsoft Israel, Bright Data, and other partners launched the “Designing AI for Democracy” competition.
The competition focused on developing innovative technological tools grounded in legal, social, and institutional frameworks. Participants aimed to create solutions for identifying and monitoring bots, detecting inauthentic campaigns on social networks, and supporting effective legislative and regulatory measures. Out of 41 teams that applied, 11 advanced to the development phase, and 7 reached the final round. Many of these teams leveraged Bright Data’s platform to collect the data necessary for their groundbreaking innovations.
Impact
During the celebratory finals, the top teams showcased their solutions, and winners were announced in two categories:
- Emerging Startup Award: VerifAI won this category with its cutting-edge AI solution for automated fact-checking and real-time content verification. VerifAI detects and alerts users to the spread of false information and disinformation, offering a proactive defense against fake news.
- Pre-Seed Award: InfluenceBlocker secured this title by addressing the complex issue of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns conducted through private, one-on-one communications. By analyzing activity signals indicative of private communication, InfluenceBlocker can monitor and identify these covert actions, overcoming the challenge of limited public data access.
The “Designing AI for Democracy” competition successfully highlighted the potential of technology to safeguard democracy by combating the escalating threat of disinformation.
