Disinformation driven by AI is the biggest immediate risk facing the world, according to global experts, who have warned of deepening societal division in an important electoral year.
For the first time the World Economic Forum’s annual risk report, which surveys 1,500 policymakers and risks, identified “misinformation and disinformation” from foreign and domestic actors as the most acute risk facing the world over the next two years.
Extreme weather events, societal polarisation, cybersecurity and the threat of inter-state conflict made up the rest of the top five list of global risks in 2024.
The report, published before its annual meeting in Davos next week, found that just under a third of its respondents highlighted “false information” in its two most severe risk categories for 2024
