Fact-Checking and AI as Resistance: Countering Political Misinformation in Contexts of Populist Authoritarianism in Latin America

Research on misinformation has expanded rapidly, yet a significant gap remains in understanding how political journalism — specifically fact-checking agencies — employs Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the particular sociopolitical contexts of Latin America, where populist authoritarianism poses a direct threat to democracy and a free press. Existing literature already indicates that the AI technologies were often not originally designed for journalistic purposes, which led to the adaptation of these tools. However, the unique political and structural characteristics of Latin American media systems profoundly influence fact-checking practices. These contexts are often marked by high political parallelism, where strong polarization and media alignment influence how fact-checkers are perceived and targeted. Furthermore, populist authoritarian leadership frequently delegitimizes the press, viewing fact-checkers as political enemies. This environment subjects them to continuous attacks that erode their professional authority. Consequently, practices related to journalistic professionalization and the threat of state intervention (via funding cuts or regulation) influence not only how fact-checkers operate but also how they must strategically position themselves as key actors engaged in democratic defense. This critical context leads to the central research question: How have fact-checking agencies in Latin America, operating under populist and authoritarian regimes, strategically employed AI to counteract and debunk political misinformation? To address this, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with fact-checkers from relevant cases such as Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela that could offer crucial insights into the adaptation strategies. The interviewed professionals included reporters, editors, editors-in-chief, and individuals involved in more technical functions within the fact-checking newsrooms of Latin American countries. Findings revealed the growing diffusion of standardized AI practices, such as the use of Large Language Models (LLMs), to accelerate the drafting and revision of debunking reports. However, answers made clear fact-checkers' profound concerns about potentially devaluing their professional authority. Fact-checkers pointed out that journalistic credibility is still a central battleground, and some actions like human validation and robust methodological transparency remain paramount assets for their credibility in the face of the automation of some fact-checking processes. Therefore, the adoption of AI is not merely a technical upgrade but a strategic maneuver in which the press seeks to maintain efficacy and preserve its legitimacy against a populist authoritarian scenario.