6: Social Network Analysis as a Diagnostic Tool for the Identification of AI-Driven Disinformation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape of disinformation by accelerating its creation, emotional appeal and dissemination. This chapter examines how AI-driven systems, such as generative AI and recommendation algorithms, can amplify emotional content that exploits fear, anger and joy to increase their virality. It is now much easier to create AI-driven disinformation as well as spread ‘deep fakes’ to confuse further and deceive the public. AI-driven disinformation often hooks onto emotional triggers, which bypasses rational scrutiny and makes disinformation more persuasive and more challenging to counter. Cognitive biases, particularly confirmation bias, further compound the problem by making individuals more receptive to false narratives that align with their existing beliefs, reinforcing echo chambers and ideological polarisation. The chapter also briefly explores the psychological foundations of conspiracy theories, highlighting how uncertainty, perceived loss of control and identity-driven reasoning contribute to their appeal and spread. In response, SNA, alongside other methods such as text and sentiment analysis, can be used to uncover coordinated campaigns and emotional manipulation tactics.