How to spot fake news, AI-made imagery using TBWA, CJR's PSAi campaign

Campaign ME

21-05-2025

Columbia Journalism Review, one of the most respected voice on press criticism and the future of news, has launched a global campaign called The PSAi in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day New York to help people spot fake news, misinformation, differentiate real versus AI imagery, and identify the risks of AI-driven deception — as well as the role we all inadvertently play in spreading such visuals.
The PSAi is a music video-centred social media campaign that outsmarts AI with AI – animating viral AI images that have made waves in culture to teach people how to spot fake images. People can visit thepsai.com to learn more about how to identify AI and understand the impact it has had on our media ecosystem.
In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Derek Green, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\RAAD, said, 'The Middle East is among the world's most connected regions. Yet that reach cuts both ways: the same feeds that spark creativity are also channels for AI-generated fakes that can circle the globe in seconds. Recent regional conferences have already flagged AI-generated images as a rising threat to trust in everything from elections to humanitarian reporting.'
Green added, 'Columbia Journalism Review's PSAi campaign — developed with our colleagues at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York — offers the sort of creative intervention the world needs. By turning AI on itself, it teaches people how to spot AI-driven deception and reminds every scroller that they're not just viewers, but publishers whose shares either amplify falsehoods or protect the truth.'
'This is Disruption® used for good: tackling a global challenge with the very technology that created it.'
— Derek Green, CCO, TBWA\Raad
With misinformation claims rising to 80 per cent for images and video, coupled with 34 million AI-generated images being created daily, the need for consumers to educate themselves on how to detect AI is more important than ever.
For the past 100 years photography has been one of the greatest tools journalists have to establish truth and trust. But today, AI generated photos are making it increasingly difficult for consumers to distinguish between real and fake media.
In 2024, a study of 2,000 US consumers reaffirmed the concern as 76 per cent of participants were unable to spot AI-generated images.
Betsy Morais, Acting Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, 'AI has already begun to transform the environment for news and information. The novel approach of this campaign is to use AI as a tool to spot AI visuals as fakes — and to highlight the role everyone plays in making them go viral.'
Since 1961, CJR has advocated for best practices in the journalism community, and believes in strong standards for verification, transparency and media literacy. With this campaign, CJR aims to recognise that if the press once had a singular power to document and publish news, versions of that work are now also visible across the vast expanse of the internet — populated by disinformation agents, synthetic-media hobbyists, and people who share what they see when they scroll.
Morais added, 'At stake is trust in substantiated information and the health of democracy. It is our hope that people will feel empowered by this campaign to recognise their individual roles as newsmakers, and to promote a future based on truth.'
To support the launch and continue its fight against misinformation, CJR is also sharing new research on AI and the press from Columbia's Tow Center for Digital Journalism.
Dustin Tomes, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, said, 'There's never been more confusion about what's real and what's fake on the Internet. The PSAi is designed to give people simple, effective tools to spot the difference — without requiring too much effort. This isn't a silver bullet, but by delivering this education in a memorable way, we hope more people will engage and apply these lessons.
Tomes concluded, 'After all, fake news doesn't spread itself. This isn't an anti-AI campaign; in fact, AI played a critical role in creating it. But today, we're all newsmakers — so we have to be more aware. We're proud of our longstanding partnership with the Columbia Journalism Review to spotlight timely issues such as 'Are You Press Worthy?' — so coming together again for this project felt not only fitting, but essential.'
CREDITS:
Client: Columbia Journalism Review
Betsy Morais – Acting Editor
Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day NY
Dustin Tomes – Chief Creative Officer