Inoculating and coaching policymakers to resist disinformation

Increasing strategic online disinformation undermine trust in institutions and threaten the integrity of democratic processes, while policymakers often lack tools and training to effectively recognise and counter disinformation, without infringing on fundamental rights. Cultivating resilience against disinformation among policymakers must be Europe’s first line of defence. While the EU has advanced digital regulation, the effectiveness of it is unclear, creating a need to explore more proactive approaches, like psychological inoculation and coaching through novel AI agents, to build lasting resistance to disinformation. Building on earlier successful projects of the team, POLINOCULATE will develop CounterCoach, a freely accessible trustworthy AI coach, that will use psychological inoculation techniques and coach policy stakeholders to recognize, resist, and counter information manipulation, while at the same time safeguarding freedom of expression. The cognitive and digital tools will be co-developed and validated through a Mutual Learning Exercise, which will benefit from Globsec’s established networks, providing unprecedented access to EU institutions and national decisionmakers, ensuring their participation, while creating clear pathways for impact and societal relevance.Our interdisciplinary research approach, co-developed practical cognitive and digital tools, educational materials, and evidence-based policy recommendations will ensure that policy stakeholders will be better equipped to counter disinformation and have a better understanding of European disinformation landscape, legal and regulatory responses to disinformation, impact of independent media on spreading or countering disinformation, and of the actors opposing policy to counter disinformation. By bridging research, policy, and practice, POLINOCULATE will help safeguard democratic values, support regulatory enforcement, and build lasting resilience against emerging information threats in Europe.