How does AI-disinformation relate to the 'liar's dividend' and what effect does it have on citizens' decision-making?

AI-disinformation creates confusion between fact and fiction, which gives the perpetrator a 'liar's dividend' by making it harder for citizens to trust what is real. This distrust delays or disrupts citizens' decision-making, because doubt leads to hesitation. The effect is strongest in less developed nations that rely heavily on externally programmed social media.

The typology of denial strategies based on candidate exposure and strength of denial is used to explain how bad actors benefit from AI-disinformation. When fake or manipulated videos, images, or audio are spread, a reasonable citizen can no longer easily distinguish fact from fiction, and this uncertainty is the liar's dividend. Even a small amount of distrust may be enough for the perpetrator to succeed. As a result, citizens may hesitate in making decisions, such as whom to vote for or what political claims to accept, because doubt undermines confident judgment. This decision-making disruption is especially severe in less developed nations, where people rely on social media content programmed abroad rather than on local, verified information.