Meta AI Tool ‘Sphere’ Could Help Curb Fake News

    
    Meta has fared poorly with the volumes of false information on its sites.
    Sarah Tew/CNET
    

    Facebook parent company Meta on Monday launched Sphere, an AI information verifier that validates the strength of claims in web entries, as reported earlier by?TechCrunch.?
    The tech news outlet provided a demo showing how the software could work on Wikipedia. In a video, Sphere scans citations and then displays whether the information failed or passed verification. Though Wikipedia is interested in the research, it is not used in production by the company, a Meta spokesperson told CNET via email.?
    Meta has fared poorly with the volumes of false information on its sites. In June, the company began to crack down on fake reviews on Facebook. Meta also has plans to scrap CrowdTangle, the tool it uses to monitor misinformation on its platforms, after the midterm elections in November.?
    Sphere is still in its research phase and Meta has no plan at this time to use it on its platforms, according to a Meta spokesperson.?
    Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the scope of Sphere’s use. Meta says the AI tool is still in research and not yet in production.