Disinformation produced or manipulated with artificial intelligence rose sharply in December 2025, according to the 55th EDMO Brief published by the European Digital Media Observatory. Out of 1,605 fact-checking articles published across Europe, 16% focused on content created or altered using AI tools. The figure marks a new record and suggests that artificial intelligence is no longer a marginal factor, but a central driver of online disinformation.
The European Union featured prominently in these narratives, often depicted as an authoritarian, weak and increasingly unpopular actor. Disinformation campaigns drew on current political and social developments to target EU decisions, public mobilisations and European political figures. In parallel, religiously framed narratives gained traction, partly fuelled by the Christmas holiday period.
Among the false stories that circulated most widely were manipulated images and videos claiming to show attacks on Christmas markets, misleading allegations about the identity of the shooter at Bondi Beach in Sydney, and unfounded claims that Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased Bill Cosby’s villa. False reports of mass protests in Bulgaria against the adoption of the euro also spread online. Taken together, these cases point to a disinformation landscape in Europe that is becoming more aggressive, more coordinated and harder to detect.
Read the full brief here.
