TO: ALL MEDIA
MEDIA ADVISORY
Monday, 26 October 2026
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how information is made, shared and consumed. Increasingly sophisticated AI-generated videos, audio and images are making it more difficult to distinguish authentic content from misleading or fabricated information, raising concerns about the spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly during elections.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in partnership with the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and other key stakeholders, will host a virtual media roundtable to explore these challenges and their implications for the electoral information environment.
The discussion will focus on the role of fact-checking and public communication in countering misinformation and disinformation, and how science, technology and collaboration among stakeholders can help safeguard the integrity of public information.
The roundtable will bring together experts from the CSIR, GCIS, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Africa Check, Media Monitoring Africa, the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change, Tales of Turning, and other relevant organisations.
Participants will explore how AI and data science can support the analysis of online public discourse, the identification of emerging narratives and the strengthening of a more trusted information environment.
Members of the media are invited to attend as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Time: 10:00 – 12:00
Journalists who wish to receive the recording of the session or request interviews after the event are requested to contact the person below.
For media enquiries, contact:
Phetolo Phatsibi, CSIR Media Practitioner
Email: @email
Mobile: 081 396 8871
About the CSIR
The CSIR, an entity of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, is one of Africa’s leading organisations in scientific and technology research, development and implementation. Constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1945 as a science council, the CSIR undertakes directed and multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, as well as industrial and scientific development, to improve the quality of life of all South Africans.
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