Fake videos created by artificial intelligence and low-quality information have replaced traditional fake news and have become the main digital threat to elections and democracy. This is the conclusion of the Internet, Democracy, and Elections Guide, published on Tuesday (Sep. 22) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br).

The guide highlights the abrupt shift between 2018 - the year of the first edition - and the current election cycle. Whereas open networks such as Facebook were the primary channels for dissemination back then, more restricted networks such as WhatsApp are now the main means of dissemination.

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CGI.br experts also noted that disinformation has become increasingly widespread, circulating simultaneously across multiple platforms. “In terms of format, video has become the primary vehicle, almost always accompanied by a short text that anchors and legitimizes the false narrative,” the document states. It is no wonder that institutions such as the World Economic Forum have considered disinformation one of the greatest global risks since 2025.

Given this scenario, the central role of the internet as a medium for information, entertainment, and communication is becoming a more important factor in democratic contests.

Recent tools, such as generative artificial intelligence, emerged during the 2022 election cycle but are expected to have an even greater impact this year when combined with dissemination tools, with more tailored targeting of specific user profiles and more complex narrative structures designed to appear more authentic.

“Today, digital platforms play a central role in how Brazilians stay informed about what is happening in the world, in the country, and in the cities where they live,” says CGI.br coordinator Renata Mielli.

She highlights the responsibility of private companies driven by economic objectives rather than the public interest. “Understanding how these environments function, how content is distributed, and what impact this has on public debate is essential to strengthening the integrity of information and democracy itself. Clarifying these mechanisms is one of the guide’s objectives.”

“Available on the CGI.br website, the publication addresses topics such as how content recommendation systems operate, the impact of generative AI on the electoral landscape, and how advanced tools - such as deepfakes and conversational language models - work.

The guide also includes guidelines for institutional efforts to combat disinformation and advice for citizens on how to avoid becoming victims of or spreading false or misleading content.

In addition to analyzing the structures of media outlets and social networks, the study highlights the role of their communicators - influencers. It acknowledges their prominent role but points to a fundamental difference from journalism: they do not follow a code of ethics, nor are they institutionally accountable for the accuracy of their statements or for inaccuracies - or even deliberate errors - in what they publish.

Warning

According to the study by the CGI.br group, the most frequently cited concern regarding deepfakes is their realism or credibility. As this type of deceptive content has undergone constant refinement, it now has the potential to deceive even voters who are highly experienced in evaluating content.

This type of content can foster widespread distrust of all kinds of information, including truthful information.

“The loss of trust in institutions such as the press and the judiciary, combined with political polarization, also contributes to this scenario, causing personal convictions to take precedence over fact-checking,” the guide warns.

Another problem that arises from this climate of mistrust is that people increasingly consume content that confirms what they already believe. “When they encounter information that contradicts these beliefs, they tend to dismiss it - a phenomenon known as motivated reasoning. In this sense, it can reinforce their ideologies,” the study points out.