Generative AI and Disinformation| Socio-Technical Imaginaries of AI’s Role in the Strengthened EU Code of Practice on Disinformation

Abstract

In the European context, artificial intelligence (AI) has become entangled with growing concerns about disinformation, emerging as both a threat and a key instrument for its mitigation. This article explores how socio-technical imaginaries—shared visions of desirable futures shaped by technology—inform the European Union’s regulatory approach to disinformation, focusing on the Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation (2022). Drawing on a qualitative analysis of institutional documents and platform transparency reports, the study identifies a dual imaginary: AI can amplify disinformation via synthetic content, but also serve as a critical infrastructure for automated detection, labeling, and moderation. These imaginaries support a technocratic governance model that relies on automated, scalable solutions to safeguard democratic integrity. The article argues that these dynamics foster an anticipatory regulatory regime—privileging efficiency and control over democratic deliberation and structural reform.