According to experts, artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to counter the rapid spread of disinformation online.

Researchers have developed an AI system that can recognize and flag fake news. The model searches a public dataset of fake news, alerts users and directs them to verified sources of information. It is part of a growing number of AI methods to combat fake news.

“The amount of information flowing through the Internet, especially through social networks, is enormous and cannot be processed manually, certainly not with great accuracy,” Wael Abd Almageed, a professor of computer engineering at the University of Southern California who has developed AI algorithms for detecting visual misinformation, told Lifewire in an email interview.

"It is important to monitor and flag misinformation in real time because once misinformation spreads, it is difficult to convince people that it is false. This is especially true if misinformation confirms our biases," he added.