International Journal of Communication Publishes a Special Section on Generative AI and Disinformation

How does generative AI affect disinformation?

This Special Section on (Generative) AI and Disinformation, guest-edited by Aqsa Farooq and Claes de Vreese, zooms in on one of the biggest questions of today’s communication landscape.

Generative AI represents a pivotal development in the contemporary information ecosystem. Large Language and Image Models now enable rapid and scalable creation of (hyper)realistic yet synthetic content. As these models become more accessible and sophisticated, so too do their capacities to distort public discourse and manipulate perceptions. This can undermine trust in democratic institutions. At the same time, these technologies offer promising tools for detection, resilience-building, and possibly countering falsehoods. As such, there is rapid global and cross-disciplinary interest in understanding how AI-driven tools have added another dimension to the existing challenge of disinformation. Scholarship in this space is booming: In 2024 there were more than double the number of publications compared to the preceding years combined.

This Special Section brings together timely and original scholarship on this challenge. It explores the multifaceted role of AI, including how it can both contribute to, as well as potentially provide solutions to, the problem of disinformation. Overall, the collection of articles underscores both the negative potential of AI-driven technologies, such as by opportunistically targeting citizens for political campaigns, while also highlighting their promise in assisting the work of those tackling disinformation at scale. That said, informing citizens about the misuse of GenAI may in turn lead to the reduced efficacy of literacy interventions and journalism. Finally, analyses of the overarching role of AI in political contexts, journalism, and governance reveals both the dual nature of AI in the fight against disinformation, and the need for more collaborative efforts. 

We invite you to read these articles that published in the International Journal of Communication on November 18, 2025. Please log into ijoc.org to read the papers of interest. We look forward to your feedback!

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(Generative) AI and Disinformation—Introduction
Asqa Farooq, Claes de Vreese

Defining the Role(s) of AI in Disinformation Research—A Systematic Review
Maria F. Grub, Edda Humprecht

Breaking the News? Generative AI’s Impact on Journalism and Its Implications for Disinformation
Nicolas Mattis, Claes de Vreese

Socio-Technical Imaginaries of AI’s Role in the Strengthened EU Code of Practice on Disinformation
Alejandro Flores Moleón

Unveiling Disinformation Narratives With AI: Collaborative Insights from Fact-Checkers and Computer Scientists’ Work in Analyzing Climate Misinformation Narratives
Irene Larraz, Ramón Salaverría, Javier Serrano-Puche

Parental Perceptions of Dynamic Exchanges of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Misinformation and Corrections From AI Checkers on Reddit
Rita Tang, Benedetta Burston, Jikai Sun, Emily K. Vraga, Leticia Bode

A Beacon of Trustworthiness in a Sea of Disinformation: Does News Coverage About the Dangers of Generative AI Cause People to Flock to Journalism?
Tom Dobber, Michael Hameleers, Christopher Starke, Toni van der Meer

Echoes of Doubt: Exposure to Information About Generative AI Decreases Believability of News
Marina Tulin, Myrto Pantazi, Christopher Starke, Michael Sivolap, Tom Dobber

Synthetic Diversity: Examining the Effects of Ethnic Targeting Using AI-Generated Political Ads
Morgan Wack, Douglas A. Parry

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Silvio Waisbord, Editor 
Kady Bell-Garcia, Managing Editor
Chi Zhang, Managing Editor, Special Sections
Andrew Taylor, Webmaster 
Asqa Farooq and Claes de Vreese, Guest Editors

Please note that according to the latest Google Scholar statistics, IJoC ranks 6th among all Humanities journals and 9th among all Communications journals in the world — demonstrating the viability of open access scholarly publication at the highest level.