A fact-checking chatbot, created by DUBAWA, the fact-checking arm of the Center for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID), is bridging the gap between fact-checks and the desired audience globally.
The tool, DUBAWA Chatbot, verifies claims for audiences who want to learn more about particular or specific fact checks by asking key questions. Misinformation is particularly serious on closed platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram, where content is shared within private groups, making data tracking and verification difficult.
To bring the solution closer to their needs, the chatbot reduced the gap in reach and accessibility by operating on WhatsApp as an easy-to-use tool to verify and report complaints.
“Given how accessible and available online information is to everyone, and not everyone has the time, patience or adequate skill to verify questionable information, the team considered possible ways we could give people access to easy information. and precisely by leveraging the power and social good of AI,” said Temilade Onilede, project director of DUBAWA.
The researchers agreed that fact-checking potentially reduces belief in misinformation. Still, access to such reports rarely gets the desired publicity in Africa due to the low penetration rate of Internet use, according to Internet World Stats.
Monsur Hussain, innovation leader at CJID, noted that the approach has been successful by leveraging a large language model (LLM) for natural language processing, allowing it to understand and process user queries accurately. He said sources are limited to trusted platforms to maintain the integrity and reliability of the information provided. “In cases where information on credible media platforms contradicts verified findings, we prioritize the verified verdict and the chatbot has responded to more than 1,100 requests from more than 250 unique users since its full launch in May 2024.”
The chatbot is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, which is crucial in a linguistically diverse country like Nigeria. Each message provides instructions that are easy to understand during the research process, even for users who are not well versed, making it a valuable resource for communities that might otherwise be excluded from fact-checking efforts due to their low level of digital literacy.
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“WhatsApp has billions of users around the world, which means it is a friendly and easy-to-use platform,” Temilade revealed. In other words, audiences who do not prefer the website to access verified information can easily communicate via WhatsApp and verify its content at any time. “It will also help us reach new audiences, especially the younger generations who spend most of their time on messaging platforms.”
One of the significant achievements of the project is the improvement in scalability and performance. “We have managed to reduce the claim verification time from 13-15 seconds to just 5 seconds,” says Monsur. This improvement not only improves the user experience but also increases the efficiency of the data verification process.
Overcoming challenges
Despite its successes, the project has encountered several challenges. A major issue is low engagement in the tool, which limits the reach and impact of the chatbot. Technical complexities in chatbot development and maintenance also pose significant obstacles. Additionally, there is a constant need to ensure that the information provided is reliable, which requires constant monitoring and updates.
Monsur also identified the importance of providing responses to users in their local language. “We have learned the importance of combating misinformation at its source. There is still a lot of work to be done to make our local languages accessible with technology, and we are looking at how we can close that gap by introducing Arabic and French, among other languages, in subsequent updates in the CJID,” he said.
Temilade agreed that the language barrier is a crucial obstacle to overcome. “Misinformation flourishes in other languages without us paying attention,” he said.
Role of fact checking in Africa
Temilade emphasizes the broader context of fact-checking in Africa, stating that disinformation is more of a social dilemma than a technological threat. He said: “The spread of false information can have serious consequences in Africa, from health crises to political instability. “Our efforts at DUBAWA are part of a broader movement to promote accurate information and hold accountable those who spread falsehoods.”
He acknowledged the progress made, but recognized the ongoing struggle against challenges in Africa, such as limited resources, lack of digital literacy and linguistic diversity. He reiterated DUBAWA's commitment to addressing these issues and making reliable information accessible.
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He also revealed existing efforts to reduce misinformation in localized languages in Nigeria, which is a multilingual country. She said: “We saw a need to reach audiences that definitely require these fact checks to occur in other languages. This has made DUBAWA invest more in countering misinformation and misinformation by effectively using the multilingual approach by producing and distributing fact checks in different indigenous languages to overcome the language barrier in fact checking.”
Monsur advocated for greater efforts to curb disinformation at the source. He said: “There is not much attention being paid to WhatsApp as a major source of misinformation. That has been a great lesson for us as it helped us identify the gap in technological advancements and the difficulty of working with local languages. Technology is advancing a lot, but we are lagging behind, especially in Africa, due to the lack of language technology.”
Future directions
Monsur and Temilade see significant potential for technology and artificial intelligence to further improve the data and information verification process. However, Monsur reiterated the organization's commitment to making the tool more accessible to all users in all walks of life.
Temilade added that the organization is prepared to equip consumers with the skills necessary to critically evaluate information and teach people to detect misinformation tactics and identify biases. He said: “With the right tools and strategies, we will continue to innovate and adapt to new challenges to achieve meaningful impact. The future of information verification will be determined by continued technological advancement. “Very soon, technology will create sporadic changes in the trajectory of information.”
He added: “Our work goes beyond simply debunking falsehoods. “It is about empowering people with the truth and contributing to a more informed and resilient society.”