Hi! PARIS Meet Up on AI, Disinformation & Democracy
Tuesday, November 24, 2026 — 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Collège des Bernardins, Paris
As part of the Hi! PARIS Initiatives, a series designed to build thematic working groups around major societal challenges, an upcoming Meet Up on “AI, Disinformation & Democracy” will take place on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris.
Disinformation did not begin with generative AI. Distrust in institutions, political polarization, and a more fragmented media environment were already weakening the conditions for a shared public debate. AI adds a new layer to this challenge: misleading content can now be produced faster, circulated more widely, and become increasingly difficult to assess at first glance.
At the same time, AI is becoming part of the response. Researchers are developing tools that can compare public claims with reliable statistical sources, scan large volumes of documents, connect information across datasets, and support journalists in their investigations. These tools can make fact-checking faster and more systematic, but they remain fallible, making source verification, editorial judgment, and human oversight essential.
The essential questions
How can AI contribute to the production and circulation of disinformation? How can it support fact-checking and investigative work? Where are the limits of these tools? And what is needed to protect trust and democratic debate as AI becomes increasingly present in our information environment?
Bringing together perspectives from research and the media, this Hi! PARIS Meet Up will explore what these changes mean in practice and what responses can be developed.
Program
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM: Welcome and registration
5:30 PM – 5:45 PM: Opening remarks and introduction
5:45 PM – 7:30 PM: Presentations and roundtable discussion
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM: Audience Q&A
Meet the Speakers
The discussion will bring together:
Sibyle Veil
President & CEO
Radio France
Sacha Altay
Senior Researcher
Inria & École polytechnique (IP Paris)
Yann Algan
Professor of Economics, HEC Institute Director
HEC Paris
Introduction & Moderation
The Meet Up will be introduced by Thierry Coulhon, President of Institut Polytechnique de Paris.
The conversation will be moderated by Anne-Laure Sellier, Professor of Behavioral Science at HEC Paris and member of the Hi! PARIS Operational Committee.
Thierry Coulhon
President
Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Anne Laure Sellier
Professor of Behavioral Science
HEC Paris
The discussion will also address the broader democratic questions raised by these developments, including trust, polarization, access to reliable information, transparency, citizen oversight, and the growing role of algorithms in public debate.
This Meet Up aims to provide participants with perspectives from both research and the media on what it will take to preserve trust and democratic debate in an increasingly AI-driven information environment.
Registration is free but mandatory. Places are limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Contact: contact@hi-paris.fr