One of the good news after the Hungarian election result: AI manipulation and fake news on social networks can be defeated
A few days before the elections in Hungary, I did an interview with Professor Răzvan Rughiniș, the vice-dean of the Faculty of Automation and Computing in Bucharest, in which I talked about the extraordinary power that large technology companies have, but also about the difference between the United States and the European Union in terms of reporting to this power.
While the EU managed, through normative acts such as the Digital Services Act or the AI Act, to offer citizens some protection, even if imperfect, in the face of the behavior of networks such as Facebook or TikTok, which have the ability to manipulate public opinion, in America this possibility does not exist, says Professor Rughiniș, in the interview that you will be able to read in full on HotNews in the coming days.
In the context of today's explosion of using artificial intelligence to influence people's opinions and, especially, their vote, it is important to note this difference in approach.
Fortunately, AI manipulation did not matter in the Hungarian election
On Sunday, excellent news came from Hungary. Viktor Orban (62 years old), who used disinformation, fake-news, bots and clips generated with artificial intelligence, on Facebook or TikTok, in this election campaign, miserably lost the elections to his opponent, Peter Magyar (45 years old), after 16 years in power. Fear of war or migrants, contempt for Brussels and hatred for Zelenski, themes strongly pushed in the digital environment by Fidesz strategies, no longer mattered in 2026 in front of the tangible realities of Hungarians' daily life: inflation, the sharp drop in the standard of living or the corruption of the Orban regime.
The full article can be read in tomorrow's edition, April 14, of the “Ration, back” newsletter, sent every Tuesday by email by journalist Gabriel Bejan. If you want to receive it, you must subscribe here:
