CBS News Launches Venture To Identify AI Deepfakes And Misinformation

CBS News is launching a new venture designed to identify IA generated deepfakes and misinformation.

CBS News Confirmed, to be led by Claudia Milne and Ross Dagan, will produce segments on the findings of a team of journalists who will analyze the content.

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Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, wrote in a memo to staffers that the venture “represents an investment in several key areas, including hiring forensic journalists, expanded training by Standards and Practices, and new, state-of-the-art technology.” She said that jobs will be posted in the coming days.

“Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace. And the challenges created by the rise of generative AI, fake videos, and misinformation are too great for us not to meet head-on,” McMahon wrote.

The new venture comes as networks solidfy plans for coverage of the 2024 presidential election, with increasing concerns over the use of AI to manipulate candidates’ images and voices. At the White House last week, President Joe Biden recalled listening to his own manipulated voice that was generated by AI. Biden signed an executive order last week to try to establish guardrails around AI, including setting standards for watermarking original content and identifying AI generated material.

McMahon’s complete memo is below:

Hello Everyone,

Today, we’re officially launching CBS News Confirmed, a new initiative to tackle AI generated deepfakes and misinformation. This effort, which is being led by Claudia Milne and Ross Dagan, will bring together a team of highly skilled journalists and the latest technology and reporting techniques to fact-check questionable videos and reports. Ultimately, an important component will be to produce segments on our findings and be transparent with audiences about how we’re drawing our conclusions.

This is an important initiative that we will roll out in the coming months. It represents an investment in several key areas, including hiring forensic journalists, expanded training by Standards and Practices, and new, state-of-the-art technology. You will see some of these new job postings in the coming days.

Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace. And the challenges created by the rise of generative AI, fake videos, and misinformation are too great for us not to meet head-on.

I’m grateful to the members of our leadership team who have committed to this effort and are always looking to protect and ensure our journalistic credibility.

We look forward to sharing more details with you soon.

Wendy

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