Fighting Disinformation at Scale: A Free AI Social News Concept You Can Build

Hi, I’m Tom – a founder, engineer, and someone who cares deeply about the future of our democracies. Over the past few months, I’ve been working on a concept that I believe has the power to make a real difference in our digital information ecosystem.

It’s a vision for a system that can help identify and counter disinformation – not with bans or censorship, but with facts, science, and individual agency.
I’m not going to build it. But you can.
Let me walk you through the idea – and why I’m offering it to the world, free to use and expand.

The Problem

Every day, social media platforms are flooded with posts that spread disinformation – from climate change denial to vaccine myths and anti-democratic narratives.

While fact-checkers and scientists work tirelessly, their efforts don’t scale fast enough. Misinformation travels faster than truth.

At the same time, people who want to stand up for facts often don’t know what to say. They feel overwhelmed, powerless, or simply outnumbered.

The Idea: AI-Powered Social Counter-Speech

The concept I’ve designed is simple at its core, but powerful in effect:

  • AI monitors trending social media content and flags posts that appear misleading, manipulative, or emotionally charged in a deceptive way.
  • Each flagged post becomes the subject of deep research: a dedicated article is generated that cites trusted scientific sources, includes fact-checked information, and explains the psychological mechanisms behind the manipulation – such as fear tactics, tribal triggers, or cognitive biases.
  • These counter-articles don’t just refute – they educate: each piece is written to build understanding, empathy, and resilience, using journalistic standards and academic grounding.
  • The content is delivered to engaged users via personalized newsletters or accessible dashboards – offering them a library of ready-to-share insights, fully sourced and contextualized.
  • And here’s the key part: users are invited to post directly under the original disinformation post – using their own social media profiles, backed by truth and clarity.

This transforms them from passive observers into powerful voices for fact-based discourse, right where it matters.

That’s what makes this different.
It’s not a platform that tries to “correct the internet” from the outside.
It empowers everyday people to speak up – publicly, in their own voice – with the backing of solid information.

Imagine thousands of real people flooding harmful posts with smart, respectful, evidence-based replies.
That’s how we shift the tone of public discourse – not with shame or censorship, but with participation and truth.

What Makes It Unique?

There are already tools for media literacy, fact-checking, and community moderation.
What sets this apart?

  • Automation: With modern AI tools, much of the content detection and scientific summarization can be done automatically.
  • Scalability: Instead of relying on a few experts, it turns every informed citizen into an amplifier of truth.
  • Personal Impact: By posting from their own accounts, users reclaim their voice – and make disinformation less viral.

This is not about arguing online.
It’s about showing up, calmly and consistently, for truth and democracy.

Why I’m Not Building It

As much as I believe in this idea, I’ve made the decision to not implement it myself as of now.
But I believe the idea is too important to sit in my drawer.

A Gift to the Open World

So I’m putting the entire concept out into the open.

If you’re:

  • A founder looking for a mission that matters
  • A team of developers with a passion for civic tech
  • A researcher or activist exploring new ways to fight disinformation
  • Or an investor looking to back something with social and technological impact

Please, take it. Build it. Make it better.
You can find the full concept (in German) at idee.tomas.de.
You’re free to use, modify, fork, or expand it in any way.

One Last Thing

If you decide to pursue this idea – or if it inspires you in some way – I’d love to hear from you.
Not because I want credit.
Just because I want to see the world get a little better.

Let’s make truth louder.

– Tom