WATCH: Webinar shares tips for working with influencers to counter AI-driven misinformation

Page Center scholars Brian and Staci Smith joined Beaudine Verhoek, a strategic communications officer at NATO Headquarters, in a discussion on how to combat AI-driven misinformation with influencers for a webinar titled, "Disinformation in the Influencer Age."

In true Page Center fashion, Brian and Staci Smith wanted to use their research to inform practice with actionable insights to answer the question: "How can organizations collaborate with influencers to combat disinformation?" To do so, the scholars from the University of Mississippi interviewed 12 government communicators and nine influencers in the United States, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and other parts of Europe. Their project, part of a Page Center research call that connected researchers with practitioners was featured in the October 22 webinar.

"We all need to be taking a part in this and helping to limit the spread of misinformation," Staci said. "Especially when we're talking about the political space."

During the discussion, Verhoek described how artificial intelligence is making it more difficult to determine what’s real and what isn’t online. “Artificial intelligence can be of tremendous help, but there are two sides of the coin. Of course, it's also a big risk, especially when our adversaries use it for malign information activities in the information space," she said.

NATO’s process in responding to identifying and responding to misinformation, or what they call information threats: “First, we look at information that's harmful… it's usually about an information threat that has reach and impact." Verhoek talked about the online behaviors being manipulative and coordinated through infrastructure.

“Lastly, the intentionality. It is so important to say that we safeguard freedom of expression," Verhoek said. "Everyone is free to be wrong or hold opinions that we don't agree with, but it's really about this intentional manipulation of information. That's the strategy, and this is something we need to address”.

To combat the misinformation, Verhoek talked about the importance of resilience against threats that can interfere with NATO's core of democratic processes. To do so, she explained the rationale behind why NATO has begun to work with influencers.

“We need people outside of our usual ecosystem to help us tell our story in a more engaging and appealing way," she said. "It is much nicer to see some of the influencers find very creative ways to help tell NATO's story and resonate better with our younger audiences."

Staci and Brian found in their research that although influencers can be effective for organizations to use, they also come with a big responsibility. People often don’t fact-check influencers, so it is imperative that influencers put out factual information in a way that is still authentic to them and their audience, according to their study. Brian said influencers “care a lot about how they're seen, so they want control over that content, which is a major factor in effective influencer relations ... allowing that control”.

Staci talked about the importance of authentic content coming from the influencer. She stressed the importance of relationship building with the influencers so that they know the accurate information, but can share it in their own, unscripted way.

“It's an ongoing relationship," Staci said. "It's not just a one-time thing of ‘say this’ or ‘come to this event’. We want them to continue to have a relationship."

Verhoek added, “By proactively filling up that space (social media) and working together with influencers, it really helps us to increase awareness about what NATO stands for, what its role is, what its mission is and why people should care."

And in NATO’s case, the numbers don’t lie. Verhoek reports that in 2024 and 2025, NATO had a reach of 276 million views, and 1,900 pieces of unique content from influencers that evolved around topics of Ukraine and defense spending. With that type of reach, Verhoek echoed Staci’s point on developing good working relationships with influencers. “As Stacy said, relationships are everything, so we need to build lasting partnerships with these content creators and really widen the pool (of knowledge)."

In the fight against misinformation and information threats, Verhoek offered actionable advice to the members of the webinar.

"We have to make sure we're not part of the problem… check the image, check the content, check the check your own bias," she said. "See what type of source is being used. There are simple steps that we can all take to make sure that we stay safe online."

Visit the Page Center's YouTube channel to watch the entire webinar.