A Critical Period for Mental Immunity

The attack on disinformation researchers, the rise of AI-generated misinformation, and the ever-present need to cultivate mental immunity

In lieu of an additional What Works module this week, we’ll take a moment to reflect on the context and importance of our work.

State of our Information Environment

Recently, news broke of the Stanford Internet Observatory’s struggles with lawsuits and waning funds.¹ While the SIO won’t be closing shop, its work is imperilled.² As a leading research institute focused on the integrity of our online information ecosystem, this is very concerning.

This comes at a time when information integrity is more important than ever. 2024 is perhaps the most important year in the history of elections, as a combined population of roughly 49% of the world will be voting in a national election.³ Meanwhile, generative AI tools have made it easier than ever to spread disinformation.⁴ Indeed, there are now hundreds of AI-generated websites doing just that. This has led WIRED to set up the WIRED AI elections project, where they track election-related disinformation and deepfakes. Similarly, the News Literacy Project’s RumorGuard, NewsGuard’s Reality Check, and other fact-checking organizations are reporting spikes in politically motivated disinformation.

Many are doing their best to provide accurate, unbiased information. Others try to debunk misinformation that has already spread. But neither of these is enough. Research has shown that simply providing people with more, accurate information is not enough to curb beliefs in false information.⁵

We need to get ahead of the disinformation by boosting people’s mental immunity. This means helping people become better information processors. We need to foster healthy skepticism, communities of collaborative inquiry, and scout mindsets.

CIRCE’s Mental Immunity Project relies on the generosity of people like you to continue its mission. Thank you for anything you can do:

Donate to the Mental Immunity Project

With your help, the Mental Immunity Project will expand its reach, develop new educational resources, and empower more people to navigate the complexities of our digital age.

A one-time donation is great, a recurring gift even better. Either way, your generosity will help us make a lasting impact:

By donating today, you invest in a future where truth prevails over falsehood and reason triumphs over misinformation:

The Mental Immunity Project (MIP) is a part of the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative (CIRCE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, therefore donations to the Mental Immunity Project are tax deductible.

---

1. Stanford’s top disinformation research group collapses under pressure

2. Update on the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO)

3. https://time.com/6550920/world-elections-2024/

4. from WIRED: It Costs Just $400 to Build an AI Disinformation Machine
from the WSJ: How I Built an AI-Powered, Self-Running Propaganda Machine for $105

5. The lure of rationality: Why does the deficit model persist in science communication? and The Information Deficit Model is Dead. Now What? Evaluating New Strategies for Communicating Anthropogenic Climate Change in the Context of Contemporary American Politics, Economy, and Culture