• Priority Area Media and Information Literacy for Citizens Empowerment
• Year 2024, 2025
• Country Belgium, Greece, Sweden
• Project Status Ongoing

Visual mis/disinformation, such as misleading manipulated and/or AI-generated images and videos, represents a growing threat to societal trust and cohesion. As readily available emerging technologies popularise the creation of AI-generated visual and audio content, the challenge of identifying and countering mis/disinformation becomes increasingly complex. While various tools and trainings exist to combat text-based mis/disinformation, there remains a critical gap in resources focused on visual content – a domain that is rapidly evolving and difficult to tackle.

The VISAVIS (VISual and AI disinformation Verified with Information literacy and citizen Science) Project equips people with skills and tools to detect visual-based mis/disinformation. Central to this initiative is the development of easy-to-use digital tools that enable real-time verification of suspicious content and practical media and information literacy trainings, to empower individuals in recognising misleading visual content.

Using a citizen science approach, two local media and information literacy campaigns will be conducted in Belgium and Sweden, targeting people who are particularly vulnerable and exposed to online mis/disinformation (ages 18-34 and 55-74). These campaigns will provide participants with practical skills to identify mis/disinformation and will encourage them to take an active role in combatting fake news online. The project will make all tools, training materials, and findings publicly available as open-access resources.

Through these efforts, VISAVIS aims to cultivate critical thinking and foster resilience against visual mis/disinformation. Led by a European consortium comprising imec-SMIT, Mediawijs, CERTH, and Folkets Bio Filmpedagogerna, VISAVIS brings together expertise in media literacy, citizen science, disinformation, and technology across Belgium, Greece, and Sweden. Together, they will empower citizens to navigate the digital landscape independently, contributing to a more informed and resilient European society.