How YouTube Middle East is combating misinformation with generative AI
Company removed more than 117,065 videos globally for violating misinformation policies in the first quarter of 2024, regional director Tarek Amin tells The National
The company is targeting misinformation that is spread through various means, including deepfake videos that use AI manipulation techniques like face swapping and generate realistic images, to create misleading content.
The problem has been exacerbated, not only by the rapid advancement of technology but also by recent regional events including Israel’s continuing assault on Gaza.
YouTube said it is also addressing other forms of misinformation, such as misleading thumbnails, deceptive titles, selective editing, false claims and repurposed content from unrelated events.
The cases of misinformation on the platform have surged in the past few months. YouTube said it has removed more than 117,065 videos globally for violating its misinformation policies in the first quarter of 2024. This is about 67 per cent higher than in the same quarter last year.
Tarek Amin, YouTube's regional director for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said the platform is tackling the menace of misinformation using a combination of AI and human oversight.
The company defines misinformation as “deceptive content with serious risk of egregious harm”, Mr Amin explained.
“During breaking news events and crises, what happens in the world also happens on YouTube . … that’s why stopping the spread of misinformation is one of our deepest commitments in the region,” he told The National.
Israel's war on Gaza, for example, has been the subject of many instances of breaking news-induced misinformation spreading through platforms such as TikTok, Elon Musk-owned X, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube.
In a deepfake video that was circulated on X on October 28, supermodel Bella Hadid appeared to apologise for her remarks supporting Palestinian rights and express support for Israel.
But the original footage was from a 2016 speech that Ms Hadid gave about her battle with a disease. The deepfake altered the visuals and audio to make it seem like she was criticising Palestine, according to AFP Fact Check.
In the same month, AI-altered footage from the video game Arma 3 was uploaded on various platforms and falsely labelled as real footage of the conflict. This misled viewers and aggravated tensions and unrest.
In the quarter ended March, more than 96 per cent of the 8.2 million videos that YouTube removed were first flagged by its automated AI-driven systems
Also, last month, a video circulating on social media, and shared more than 4,000 times on X, falsely implied that Rafah actors were preparing to stage scenes of injury in Gaza.
This misinformation campaign included AI-generated, repurposed content taken from behind-the-scenes footage of a Palestinian drama series filmed in the occupied West Bank. Although it was taken down by platforms, the manipulated content, which was widely shared and viewed millions of times, likely added to the heightened anger and tensions around the war.
Before that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were videos on various platforms wrongly asserting that drinking bleach could cure the virus. They were swiftly removed by YouTube to prevent misinformation and protect users.
Misinformation can cause real-world harm, such as promoting harmful remedies or treatments, certain types of technically manipulated content, or content interfering with democratic processes, Mr Amin said.
YouTube ads contributed more than 10 per cent to Alphabet’s total revenue in the last quarter. Getty
Old war, new weapons
While the spread of misinformation through social media platforms goes back decades, it has been scaled up rapidly with the use of automated systems and generative AI technologies.
Industry experts and authorities argue that platforms have failed to adequately address misinformation, leading to rumours, disbelief and injuries.
YouTube's Dream Screen feature allows creators to add AI-generated video or image backgrounds to their shorts by typing an idea into a prompt. Photo: YouTube
In October, Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the EU internal market, sent a letter to Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet, to prevent the spread of misinformation on YouTube about Israel and Gaza.
This came after a letter was also sent to X owner Elon Musk, TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew and Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg with a 24-hour deadline to halt the misinformation spread.
In her reply to the European Commission, X’s chief executive Linda Yaccarino said the platform has removed “tens of thousands of pieces of content” to minimise misinformation related to the war.
Platforms have also been condemned by social media users and human rights activists for subjugating regional voices.
In 2021, Instagram and Facebook faced a backlash for suppressing Palestinian content during protests in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, when posts and accounts highlighting the situation were inexplicably removed or shadow banned, New York-based non-profit organisation Human Rights Watch revealed in a report.
During the same period, TikTok users reported their videos and hashtags supporting Palestine were being taken down without clear reasons, raising concerns over biased content moderation, another New York-based civic and social organisation Access Now found.
YouTube told The National it is impartially enforcing its guidelines to prevent the spread of misinformation related to the Israel-Gaza conflict while ensuring that legitimate opinions and viewpoints are not stifled.
The company does not remove content for discussing a specific topic or for sharing a viewpoint, which is particularly sensitive in instances like the Israel-Gaza conflict, said Mr Amin.
“We take our responsibility to surface authoritative news sources seriously, especially during war and conflict … the nature of crises means that there is content that is violent or graphic, which would violate our policies. However, we allow content that has educational, documentary and scientific value … like news content,” he explained.
But there are also guidelines related to news content, such as blurring graphic injuries and age-gating content that is not suitable for all viewers, when necessary, he added.
AI defence
Mr Amin said YouTube is using a slew of generative AI tools for content moderation to minimise the spread of misinformation. This is done through a combination of human judgment and machine learning, with more than 20,000 reviewers operating around the world.
In its back-end systems, AI classifiers – digital tools that are trained to categorise multimedia data into predefined classes or labels –help detect unacceptable content and human reviewers confirm whether the content has crossed policy lines, such as promoting misinformation related to violence, hate speech, or medically inaccurate information.
One of the significant areas of impact has been the identification of new forms of abuse and misinformation, Mr Amin said.
“When new threats arise, systems initially lack the context to recognise them on a large scale. However, generative AI allows YouTube to quickly broaden the data set used to train its AI classifiers, enabling faster detection of such content.”
In the quarter ended March 31, more than 96 per cent of the 8.2 million videos that YouTube removed were first flagged by its automated AI-driven systems, Mr Amin said.
Some of the AI tools used by companies such as YouTube are built using machine learning frameworks and software such as TensorFlow and PyTorch, to create deep learning models capable of analysing vast amounts of video content. They also use a mix of natural language processing tools for analysing and understanding the context of video transcripts and comments.
“It's healthy to pivot the conversation from what we need to do about generative AI to what we can do with it. We need defensive AIs to catch malicious ones,” Sam Blatteis, chief executive of The Mena Catalysts, told The National.
Analysts recommend that YouTube ensures its distribution algorithms do not promote misinformation.
“Historically, distribution algorithms have been driven by what triggers reactions and interest, which is essentially the attention economy … posing a significant risk,” Tim Gordon, co-founder and partner at the UK-based Best Practice AI, told The National.
“However, there are opportunities to improve this [algorithms] through AI. We can use AI at scale to analyse YouTube videos, understand their content, and identify those most likely to spread misinformation.”
Tarek Amin, YouTube's regional director for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said cases of misinformation on the platform are rising. Photo: YouTube
In September, YouTube announced a series of AI resources to support video content creators globally, and following that in November, guidelines requiring users to disclose fabricated or altered content.
The company stated creators must disclose when they have produced “altered or synthetic” content using AI with an on-screen notification. Failure to disclose may result in the content being flagged or removed and habitual offenders could face account suspension.
YouTube has also set out AI principles specifically designed to protect music artists and the integrity of their work, Mr Amin said.
“It's notable that YouTube uses a combination of algorithmic and human judgment to determine if content sits on this [misinformation] spectrum,” Dev Nag, chief executive of San Francisco-based AI firm QueryPal, told The National.
“But YouTube is much more hands-off when it comes to bias, which involves more subjective framing … this will also require a hybrid approach of machines [to detect harmful content] and humans [to validate AI’s findings].”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
if you go
The flightsFly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Allianz Arena, Munich Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m |Winner: Eghel De Pine, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Sheaar, Szczepan Mazur, Saeed Al Shamsi
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA) Group 3 Dh500,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Torch, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,600m | Winner: Forjatt, Chris Hayes, Nicholas Bachalard
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,400m | Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Ridha ben Attia
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Qader, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roaulle
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr Started: 2019 Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr Sector: FinTech Headquarters: Egypt UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi Current number of staff: More than 150 Funds raised: $22 million
Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: Egypt v Mexico (Group B)
6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer) 5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi 6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard 6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel 7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers 7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle 8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
