A enchente de desinformação e o papel da IA | Marcos Oliveira Jr. | TEDxErechim

During climate disasters, a pattern of misinformation emerges: fake audio messages, unverified posts, recycled or AI-generated photos, and fraudulent donation campaigns. This happened in Rio Grande do Sul in 2023 and 2024, and in Erechim in 2025, where rumors like car fines for cracked windshields after a hailstorm forced the city government to issue public denials. Reliable information during a climate crisis is crucial infrastructure, enabling preparation, protection, and demanding solutions. Information integrity is therefore climate justice. The world is recognizing this, with information integrity included in COP 30 negotiations in 2025 and the World Economic Forum in 2026 identifying misinformation and extreme weather as top risks. Without reliable information, a just energy transition is impossible, benefiting those who oppose sustainable business models and international cooperation. An industry profits from misinformation by delaying solutions, confusing public opinion, discrediting science, and making quick profits. This industry comprises three groups: 1. **Content Producers:** Digital influencers and social media profile owners who prioritize engagement over truth, as clicks, views, and shares generate revenue. 2. **Social Media Platforms:** Their advertising-based business model thrives on user engagement. Content, even misinformation about climate tragedies, keeps users online, generating revenue. Platforms often shirk responsibility for fact-checking despite its feasibility, as doing so would reduce profits. This is a deliberate market strategy, not an oversight. 3. **Financiers:** Groups of politicians and businesspeople, particularly from the fossil fuel industry, who benefit from delaying climate science and solutions. This allows more time for fossil fuel exploration, less investment in renewables, delayed environmental policy, and attacks on scientists. This strategy is well-mapped and scientifically proven. Consumers also play a role. While not malicious, sharing misinformation, even with good intentions, inadvertently finances this industry. We are the most harmed by this industry and must assume shared responsibility. By stopping the consumption of misinformation, we diminish its power. The new era of AI presents both challenges and opportunities. AI can generate deepfakes, amplifying lies, but also helps create climate alerts and educational material. The challenge is to leverage AI as an ally. Four ways to use AI positively include: 1. **Reverse Image Search:** Check if images or videos have been recycled from previous events. 2. **AI Against AI:** Use evolving AI detectors to identify deepfakes. 3. **Compare with Scientific Evidence:** Use AI models to explain climate change and refute denialist arguments. 4. **Specialized Assistants:** Train AI models on climate data and literature to provide robust, up-to-date answers. The solution is collective and shared. We don't need to be experts, but we must be selective about what we share. Before sharing, pause, reflect, check official channels, use fact-checking tools, and only share what you'd put your name on. If misinformation is organized, truth can also be organized and amplified, strengthening our resilience and saving lives.