WHO IS BEHIND VERA.AI?

Meet: Alexandre Alaphilippe

With the interview format WHO IS BEHIND VERA.AI? we subsequently present the people who make up the project, their role within vera.ai as well as their views on challenges, trends and visions for the project's outcomes.

Who are you and what is your role within vera.ai?

My name is Alexandre Alaphilippe and I am the Executive Director of EU DisinfoLab, a non-governmental organisation that participates in vera.ai. At EU DisinfoLab, we conduct open-source investigations on disinformation actors. Within the vera.ai project, we’re working to identify gaps in investigative routines where the use of technology could facilitate the work of the community tackling disinformation.

Alexandre Alaphilippe, EU DisinfoLab

What challenges and trends do you currently see regarding disinformation analysis and AI supported verification tools and services (and what will you do about it, if anything)?

There are a few challenges and trends that we see in the realm of disinformation analysis and AI-supported verification tools and services. One challenge is creating tools that not only make a difference in the work routines of journalists but also support evidence-based work with a clear understanding from the public eye of how verification was conducted. Another challenge is avoiding the creation of additional algorithmic blackboxes to tackle disinformation, as there are already concerns about the lack of transparency on existing platforms. To address these challenges, we are committed to work collaboratively with the vera.ai team to develop tools that prioritise transparency, accuracy, and the needs of journalists and newsrooms.

What is your 2025 vision of your contributions/outcomes within the scope of vera.ai?

My vision for vera.ai in 2025 is that the platform will have successfully developed and implemented innovative tools that significantly facilitate the work of newsrooms and journalists. I hope that the platform's success will be demonstrated by its widespread adoption outside of the consortium, similar to past successful projects like InVid/WeVerify. Through our ongoing involvement within vera.ai, I am confident that we can contribute to the development of these tools and ultimately help combat the spread of disinformation.

Author / contributor: Alexandre Alaphilippe (EU DisinfoLab)

Editor: Anna Schild (DW)

vera.ai is co-funded by the European Commission under grant agreement ID 101070093, and the UK and Swiss authorities. This website reflects the views of the vera.ai consortium and respective contributors. The EU cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.