Thailand plans to use AI to stop fake news
Thailand is stepping up efforts to fight fake news, especially online scams.
The country's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is working with more than 300 agencies to stop false information from spreading and using artificial intelligence (AI) to check if news is true or fake.
The government set up the Anti-Fake News Centre (AFNC) in 2019 to track and stop false stories.
The goal is to give people the right information quickly before they fall for scams. The centre focuses on five key areas: government policies and security, illegal businesses, the economy, natural disasters, and online crime.
The AFNC website is already in use by many Thais and has nearly 28 million visits. The centre also shares updates through Line, a popular messaging app, where it has 2.8 million followers.
Since 2022, the government has been sending alerts about scams and fake news through the Pao Tang app, which many Thais use for financial services. Last year, the system sent an average of 23.5 million alerts each month.
To make its fight against fake news stronger, the ministry has teamed up with 16 banks and media organisations.
It has also signed an agreement with the Thai Media Fund to help people understand the difference between real and fake news.
Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said the next step is to use AI to quickly check if the news is real, fake, or misleading. The plan is to make it easier for people to trust the news they read and avoid being tricked by false information.
