Fighting the ‘Infodemic:’ Can AI and micro-trust save public health?

Plunging vaccination rates suggest public health is losing the current battle against mis- and dis-information and some AI tools are making matters worse.But Ontario public health communications experts believe there are tactics and tools, including using AI, that can help bolster the promotion of evidence-based public health interventions.That’s the conclusion to be drawn from a recent virtual panel discussion at the Ontario Public Health Convention known as TOPHC.“I think we’re all trying to figure out, in this rapidly changing ecosystem, how to communicate with people in a way that resonates, and how to . . . get ahead of this AI-empowered machine of misinformation,” said panelist Dr. Blair Bigham, assistant professor at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a journalist.However, Dr. Bigham said this is a flawed perspective. “What we can do right now is engage all of the communities that we serve, including micro communities and try to build trust. Having a communication strategy that (focuses on) micro populations that can be targeted depending on the health emergency or the health messages that need to be shared at the time probably sounds like a lot of work up front but the yield later on is going to be exceptional.”Dr. Bigham also talked about using AI to help monitor and detect misinformation and assist in creating content to battle misinformation.Neil Seeman, a senior fellow and associate professor at University of Toronto also talked about using AI to help create narratives to counter misinformation as well as to test the value and applicability of these narratives.Dr. Jennifer McWhirter, associate professor of population at the University of Guelph and director of the Health by Design Lab, discussed the importance of two-way communication between public health officials and the communities they serve.“There are times—especially on social media—where sometimes it feels like there is not capacity in public health to engage in responding to comments, but we absolutely need to be doing that if we’re going to build trust and if we’re going to tackle mis- and disinformation,” she said.“Absolutely, we should meet our communities where they are,” Dr. Bigham added but noted that with the proliferation of social media platforms public health cannot keep up with crafting specific messages for each platform. “If we . . . build trust in those communities, then as the platforms change, the trust shouldn’t,” he said.Dr. Bigham also discussed the importance of finding out what the public wants and needs when it comes to public health information. While admitting it was “cringey” he said there was value in seeing how influencers operate on social media and perhaps in mimicking some of their tactics.“I think we should at least be open to learning some of the tricks of those communication styles that do resonate with people, to see if we can build trust by being where they are, by resonating with them in their moment of need and understanding what is it that you would need to make a decision.”In addition, he said, public health should look to partnering with those in the community who already have trust and influence in order to communicate messages.Seeman talked about how the polarization of society that has accompanied the growth of mis- and dis-information and how it is important to educate communities about the role and purpose of public health.Dr. McWhirter referenced the importance of using visual images with public health messages. “Pictures are incredibly information dense,” she said and even when not designed to communicate a specific health message can help build trust by being authentic.At a systems level, Dr. McWhirter urged public health leadership to earmark funds to build capacity to do effective public health communication, have public health professionals working in specific public health communication roles and creating a pipeline of really well trained public health professionals to do really effective public health communications.Despite their optimistic comments, Dr. Bigham admitted the challenges created by the advent of new AI tools is making the challenge of countering misinformation in public health even more daunting.“There’s no way public health as it’s currently structured, has any chance of keeping up with AI deep fakes,” he said. “It’s impossible. So what can we do? Well, we can rely on what we’re already positioned to do, and that’s build trust and try to use a combination of engagement and authority to get through to the population that we can get through to.“But the potential for AI to lead people astray … is terrifying. It’s an urgent threat. And I don’t think there are great answers.”Pat Rich is a Canadian health journalist and former editor of the Medical Post. This item originally appeared on his blog site.

Fighting the ‘Infodemic:’ Can AI and micro-trust save public health?

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics