The EDMO Training session on “Generative AI and Hybrid Influence – How do we make sense of what we hear and see?” examined how generative artificial intelligence, synthetic media, and hybrid influence operations are reshaping the European information environment. Moving beyond the traditional “real versus fake” paradigm, the session explored how AI-generated images, audio, video, and text interact with platform dynamics, emotional narratives, and coordinated influence strategies to shape how citizens encounter, interpret, and trust information.
The session was hosted and moderated by Sally Reynolds, who framed the discussion around the need to understand not only the technical development of AI-generated content, but also the wider societal implications of AI-mediated communication. She highlighted that the challenge is no longer limited to identifying whether a specific piece of content is authentic or synthetic, but increasingly concerns how citizens, journalists, educators, and institutions can make sense of information environments where production, distribution, and interpretation are rapidly changing.
Professor Vian Bakir provided the conceptual framework for understanding hybrid influence operations and their implications for democratic resilience. She highlighted that modern influence campaigns combine multiple tools, including fabricated content, cyber tactics, social amplification, and strategic communication — to shape public understanding and behaviour.
She emphasised that generative AI is accelerating existing challenges by enabling influence activities that are increasingly:
- Personalised – tailored to individuals and psychological profiles;
- Synthetic – created through AI-generated text, images, audio, and video;
- Scalable – capable of reaching large audiences at low cost;
- Interactive – able to create persuasive, emotionally engaging conversations.
Examples such as AI-generated influencers and automated influence campaigns demonstrate how future manipulation may move beyond individual pieces of false content towards entire synthetic ecosystems designed to simulate trust, consensus, and social interaction.
Bakir stressed that resilience strategies must address not only misinformation itself, but also the broader information environment, including platform incentives, emotional amplification, and the risks of declining trust. She highlighted the importance of ethical standards for AI development, including the newly published IEEE guidance on empathic AI systems.
Access the related presentation here.
Alexandre Voci Sayad explored how schools and educators can prepare learners for an AI-mediated world.
He argued that AI literacy should not be limited to learning how to use AI tools, but should focus on understanding how AI systems shape knowledge, communication, identity, and decision-making. A systemic approach is needed, integrating AI literacy across education rather than treating it as a separate subject.
Key messages included:
- Students need to understand how AI systems work, including their limitations and biases.
- Critical thinking requires practical engagement and experimentation with AI tools.
- Education should help learners understand AI as a form of mediation that influences how they experience the world.
Examples of classroom activities included exploring how AI interprets local cultural stories, examining AI bias, and using science fiction and creative works to discuss questions around agency, consciousness, and technology.
Access the related presentation here.
Carlos Hernández-Echevarría examined the practical challenges facing journalists and fact-checkers.
He explained that traditional methods of identifying AI-generated content are rapidly becoming ineffective as synthetic media improves. The challenge is no longer only detecting fake images or videos, but understanding how AI is changing the entire process of information discovery.
He highlighted concerns around AI-powered search and summaries, noting that AI systems often rely on patterns found across the open internet, which can reproduce existing biases, misinformation, and low-quality sources. The quality and availability of training data directly influence the answers users receive.
Hernández-Echevarría stressed the importance of maintaining diverse and reliable information habits, ensuring citizens do not rely solely on AI-generated summaries when seeking knowledge and understanding.
Access the related presentation here.
George Weiss introduced the Emerge Project, an initiative focused on strengthening media and emotional literacy among young people.
He explained that misinformation and harmful influence often succeed because they exploit emotions such as fear, insecurity, anger, and the need for belonging. Building resilience therefore requires more than teaching people to identify false information, it requires helping them understand their own emotional responses and vulnerabilities.
The Emerge Project uses experiential learning and “inoculation” approaches, creating safe simulated environments where young people can experience manipulation techniques, understand how they work, and develop stronger resistance.
The platform combines:
- Media literacy education;
- Emotional literacy;
- Understanding of algorithms and manipulation techniques;
- Interactive and gamified learning experiences.
Access the related presentation here.
Key Takeaways
The session highlighted several key conclusions:
- The information environment is changing faster than traditional detection methods can keep up with.
- AI literacy must move beyond tool usage towards understanding systems, incentives, and societal impacts.
- Democratic resilience requires human-centred approaches combining education, journalism, regulation, and ethical technology design.
- Emotional awareness is essential because influence operations often succeed by targeting feelings rather than facts alone.
- Citizens need stronger agency, not only stronger safeguards, to navigate AI-driven information spaces.
The discussion concluded with a shared message: preparing society for the AI era requires empowering people to think critically, understand how information systems shape their realities, and actively participate in building a healthier digital environment.
What participants have learned
- Analyse how generative AI, synthetic media, and hybrid influence are reshaping the European information environment and challenging traditional assumptions about authenticity, trust, and verification.
- Evaluate how media literacy practices, pedagogical approaches, and verification methods must adapt to address AI-mediated and synthetic information environments.
- Identify practical strategies, case studies, and competence-based approaches that support critical interpretation, civic resilience, and responsible engagement with AI-generated media.
