AI-generated content to fuel new wave of disinformation in Armenia, warns Pash

AI-generated content is changing the landscape of disinformation in Armenia, with narratives increasingly mixing real facts and artificial intelligence–created audio and video, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, warned Wednesday.

Baghdasaryan, speaking at an awareness-raising event on tackling fake news organized by the Public Relations and Information Center, noted that the nature of disinformation campaigns has changed significantly in recent times.

“Whereas in the past, false news was largely absurd, now narratives are partially based on real facts and make extensive use of artificial intelligence,” she said.

The Prime Minister’s press secretary added that these trends provide a basis for predicting new waves of disinformation.

She warned that fake news distributors could utilize AI to stage false “leaks” of fake documents presented as real.

“This is why we are not only forecasting but also anticipating that in the coming period, there may be ‘leaks’ of documents generated by artificial intelligence, as well as actions that appear real. This particularly concerns AI-generated audio and video content, which will closely resemble real images,” Baghdasaryan emphasized.

She added that legislative changes have already been implemented to respond to these challenges.

“This is also the purpose of the recent legislative amendments adopted in the National Assembly, which require labeling AI-generated materials during the pre-election period, allowing for their proper distinction,” she said.

According to her, international experience has also played an important role in addressing this issue.

“The experience of different countries has helped us, and we have been able to create certain preventive measures, which we hope will be effective,” concluded Nazeli Baghdasaryan.