This commentary was published in commemoration of International Fact-Checking Day 2024, held April 2 each year to recognize the work of fact-checkers worldwide. Factly is a fact-checking organization based in Hyderabad, India
In nations such as India, the fight against misinformation is magnified by its sheer volume, exacerbated by over 850 million internet users on social media platforms and private messaging apps.
This proliferation of misinformation can lead to social unrest, communal tensions and public health crises. Fact-checkers here are tasked with navigating numerous hurdles, including limited resources, a diverse linguistic landscape of 22 constitutionally recognized languages, and the swift pace at which misinformation spreads.
At Factly, we have encountered these challenges directly, having published around 10,000 fact checks in the languages of English, Telugu and Kannada. We are also known for in-depth data stories, focusing on official government data. All this meant that we were in a unique position to harness the transformative power of generative artificial intelligence because of the custom databases we curated over the years.
Despite its potential pitfalls, AI’s capacity to bolster fact-checking efforts is unmistakable. In a country as populous and diverse as India, efficient and effective fact-checking is not just beneficial — it’s essential.
We’ve found that AI has the potential to transform the fact-checking landscape by automating the detection of misinformation, analyzing complex datasets and preemptively identifying likely false narratives. Such automation permits fact-checkers to dedicate more time to thorough investigations and detailed analysis.
At Factly, we have made important strides to leverage AI, thanks to our focus on data journalism and a dedicated in-house tech team. Our endeavors in developing high-value databases over the last decade, coupled with the latest advancements in AI, have facilitated more effective data utilization and analysis.
Our commitment to leveraging AI in fact-checking is exemplified by two pioneering products: Dataful and Tagore AI. Dataful serves as a comprehensive portal to over 20,000 high-value public datasets relevant to various Indian sectors. Meanwhile, Tagore AI, a generative AI platform, is tailored for journalists, researchers and those in the wider information industry, playing a pivotal role in our fact-checking processes.
Within Tagore AI, we have implemented various chatbots built on top of custom structured and unstructured databases/datasets that we curated over the last decade. We were clear from early on that the custom databases we curate should provide authentic and credible information along with source links, rather than just regurgitating what is available on the web.
These chatbots assist fact-checkers in their work by providing quick access to relevant information. For example, SACH Chatbot searches over 300,000 fact checks published worldwide, while Parlens Chatbot facilitates engagement with extensive official data from the Indian Parliament, making parliamentary knowledge more accessible. PIB Chronicle is a chatbot that offers insights from the government of India’s press releases. Other chatbots cover topics such as Indian election data, laws, the Constitution, census data, and crime records, etc.
We plan to continue adding a large number of such chatbots to Tagore AI, covering data across different sectors in the coming months.
The integration of AI into our processes has significantly elevated our fact-checking capabilities, enabling our team to focus on in-depth research and nuanced analysis. More specifically, these chatbots we built on top of custom/curated databases have significantly reduced the amount of time our fact-checkers spend on research trying to find the most authentic information from credible sources. Instead of sifting through endless search results on the web, they now effectively use the chatbots. It aids in the verification of information, contextual understanding, and the creation of trustworthy content.
Looking ahead, we firmly believe that AI’s role in fact-checking is set to expand, with well-annotated custom databases becoming crucial for accurate and swift verification. AI should not be intended to fully replace the nuanced judgments of humans, but it has a great potential to significantly reduce the time spent on various stages of fact-checking workflow, particularly in research.
We at Factly are excited to be part of this technological revolution, employing AI to enhance information integrity in India and beyond.
