With over 45% of citizens going to the polls in the year 2024 in an era of Artificial Intelligence-lead misinformation and disinformation, it is expected that partisan-funded pink-slime news sites will outnumber legitimate local news sites in the United States of America.

This was revealed in a research conducted by News Guard.

According to the data, the phenomenon is likely to be replicated in other parts of the world where elections are going to be held this year.

President and founder of the DC Media Connection LLC and a former managing editor of the USA Today, Ms. Donna Leinwald Leger said, the phenomenon if not curb will heavily dilute the media landscape and erode trustworthiness among journalists.

Addressing 13 African journalists participating in the 2024 International Visitor Leadership Program under the Edward R. Murrow program for journalists on the theme 'Media Responsibility In An Age of Disinformation', Madam Donnan Leger underscored the need for professional journalists to step up their game in building trust among their audience.

She explained that politicians and organizations with vest interest deliberately use social media and other websites to spread falsehood with an intention to mislead the citizens for their parochial interest.

Madam Donna Leger said politicians and scrupulous writers may use Artificial Intelligence to replicate voices of political leaders and opponents, celebrities and other dignities to disinform the public.

She added that, in the United States, the Federal Communication Commission has banned A.I. generated robocalls following a phony call in January that was made to mimic President Biden’s voice, urging New Hampshire voters to stay home during the state’s first-in-the–nation primary.

The FCC in it decision hinted that AI generated voice in unsolicited robocalls are prohibited under the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act which restrict marketing calls that uses artificial and prerecorded voice messages.

Again, callers who use AI technology must get prior consent from the people they are calling.

The Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists is under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program.

This year's program aims at equipping journalists in the Africa region on how to detect and avoid misinformation and disinformation in a fast technological world.

The program introduced participants to members of academia, the media industry and other stakeholders to discuss information sharing and best practices.

The 13 participants are from Ghana, Algeria, Central African Republic, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Niger, Sierra Leon and South Africa.

Participants are expected to share their experiences with their colleagues back home in a quest to reduce the menace of disinformation.