ANTIGONE: a new European research project on disinformation, generative AI and freedom of expression online

Press release from Antigone-Wednesday 30 September 2026.

Brussels, September 2026 — How can we better understand emerging forms of disinformation and information manipulation without undermining freedom of expression? How can coordinated inauthentic behaviour, astroturfing and the use of generative artificial intelligence in manipulation campaigns be identified? And what tools can help journalists, fact-checkers, researchers, regulators and civil society organisations respond effectively?

These are the questions at the heart of ANTIGONE, a new three-year European research project exploring how to address disinformation and information manipulation while safeguarding freedom of expression and democratic debate in digital environments.

Coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), ANTIGONE brings together ten European organisations with complementary expertise in social sciences, law, journalism, fact-checking, artificial intelligence, data science, digital methods and civil society.

Understanding what lies beyond true and false

A growing share of information manipulation cannot be reduced to content that can simply be described as “true” or “false”.

ANTIGONE will examine the grey zones of online speech, where opinion, information, manipulation, influence and freedom of expression can overlap.

The project will focus in particular on coordinated inauthentic behaviour, astroturfing, generative artificial intelligence, online narrative manipulation, platform governance and emerging forms of misleading or harmful content. Particular attention will be paid to the complex boundary between harmful information practices and the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.

From research to practical, usable tools

Beyond analysing these phenomena, ANTIGONE aims to develop practical responses that can be used by relevant professional communities.

The consortium’s work is expected to deliver:

• research methodologies to improve the analysis of information manipulation;
• Human-AI tools, combining artificial intelligence with human expertise;
• datasets and research resources;
• frameworks for media organisations and platforms;
• legal and public policy recommendations;
• new approaches designed to support a more open and pluralistic digital public sphere.

Public project results will be made progressively available in order to support their dissemination, reuse and uptake by researchers, journalists, fact-checkers, policy-makers and other relevant professionals.

Directly involving practitioners and stakeholders

ANTIGONE is also built around close collaboration with actors directly affected by changes in the information environment.

Working groups, consultations, co-creation workshops, data sprints, events and exchanges with policy-makers will involve these stakeholders directly in the development and validation of the project’s work, helping to ensure that research responds to real-world needs.

The project will work in particular with journalists, fact-checkers, researchers, OSINT specialists, civil society organisations, media literacy professionals, technology experts, European institutions and national regulators.

ANTIGONE aims to involve at least 250 stakeholders in co-creation workshops, roundtables and the final conference, while building a network of at least 50 members across 10 European countries.

Broadening and diversifying the European stakeholder ecosystem

The project’s initial stakeholder mapping highlights a number of geographical, thematic and sectoral gaps.

ANTIGONE will therefore continue to identify and involve actors who are currently underrepresented, in order to strengthen the diversity and relevance of its European network.

This approach is intended to broaden participation from different parts of Europe, communities directly affected by information manipulation and sectors that remain insufficiently represented in the current ecosystem.

From research to European public policy

ANTIGONE’s work will also contribute to European debates on the regulation of digital environments and the protection of democratic debate.

The project will examine legal and regulatory developments concerning digital platforms, freedom of expression and European initiatives designed to safeguard the integrity of the information environment.

The aim is to translate scientific findings into recommendations that are clear, practical and usable by policy-makers, regulators and other relevant stakeholders.

“ Antigone rethinks the core democratic tension be tween freedom of expression and disinformation control not as a clash between truth and falsehood, or regulation and rights, but as a question of how disagreement itself is institutionally and technologically hosted.”

                                                                                         Prof. Trisha Meyer, VUB, Principal Investigator

  About ANTIGONE- FROM ANT AGON I SM TO A GO NISM I N DIGITAL E COSYSTEMS

ANTIGONE is a European research project

exploring how democratic societies can navigate conflicts between different forms of legitimacy, recognition and democratic voice. Inspired by Sophocles’ tragedy

Antigone

, the project examines how online platforms can be designed to host disagreement constructively — distinguishing between harmful disinformation and legitimate disagreement, and between exclusion and meaningful democratic contestation.

It aims to develop a conceptual framework and practical tools to support constructive democratic contestation , particularly in contexts characterised by public mistrust, unclear platform rules and contested meanings. This work will result in a range of outputs , including research methodologies, Human-AI tools, datasets, legal and policy recommendations, frameworks for media and platforms, and new approaches to supporting open and pluralistic civic discourse.

The project brings together organisations from across Europe, combining expertise in social sciences, law, media studies, artificial intelligence and computational sciences, and civic advocacy. This multidisciplinary approach enables ANTIGONE to examine information manipulation from different perspectives — from the way narratives emerge and spread online to the technological, legal and societal conditions that shape digital public discourse.

The project will work closely with policy-makers, journalists, fact-checkers, law enforcement officers, researchers, civil society organisations (Civil rights defenders, media literacy practitioners), creators, influencers) and other relevant stakeholders throughout its three-year duration, ensuring that its research reflects real-world needs and that its findings can be translated into practical action.

ANTIGONE is coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and brings together EU DisinfoLab (EUDL), Queen Mary University of London ( QMUL) , the University of Sheffield (USFD) , the Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas ( CERTH), the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), Agence France-Presse (AFP), the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Institute For Strategic Dialogue ( ISD Germany) as project partners, and MediaConnect

Funded by the European Union in the HORIZON EUROPE framework under grant agreement Project 101287848 - ANTIGONE . Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Press contact MediaConnect – ANTIGONE

Anne Boussarie / anne.boussarie@mediaconnect.com

Consultez la version source sur MediaConnect.com : https://mediaconnect.com/antigone-a-new-european-research-project-on-disinformation-generative-ai-and-freedom-of-expression-online

Antigone

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