The Fake-a-thon will begin on Monday, April 1 and consist of two stages.

1. Stage one will be held from April 1 to April 4. This stage challenges participants to use generative AI tools like Chat-GPT or Microsoft Copilot to create and submit fake news stories. Stories can be submitted through an online form.
2. Stage two will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 5 in E202 Westgate Building. Participants who did not submit entries in stage one are invited to scrutinize entries — which will be mixed in with genuine news stories from event organizers — to determine if submitted stories are fake or real.

The Fake-a-thon consists of two stages:

Stage 1 (April 1-April 4): Fake News Submission

Participants use generative AI tools like Chat-GPT or Microsoft Copilot to create and submit fake news stories. Event organizers will also submit genuine news stories to the competition. Participants can submit as many stories as they’d like, and stories can be about any topic, such as the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election and other contentious topics like climate change and health and medicine – whatever you want!

Each submission must include a(n):

• Story title
• Full text of your fake news story
• Optional image or video
• Brief description of the process you followed to create your story, including the generative AI tools and versions used
• Brief description of how your story is fake news

Stories must be “verifiably fake” with public information. This means that personal stories – such as your friend's legendary encounter with an alien – would not work here. Unleash your creativity but be sure your story can be fact-checked by others!

Note: You must log in to the form using your Penn State access ID (e.g., abc123). You cannot authenticate using an alias email address.

Submit your Fake-a-thon story

Stage 2 (April 5): Fake News Detection

Friday, April 5
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
E202 Westgate Building

Participants who did not submit entries in stage one are invited to scrutinize entries to figure out if the stories from Stage 1 are fake or real. Prizes will be given to the participants who submitted a fake news story that fooled the most people, as well as the individuals who accurately identified the highest percentage of fake news stories.

Post-event Survey

All participants will also be asked to participate in a post-event survey for an ongoing research project and may be asked for feedback or to use their news story for research purposes.

Any member of the Penn State community with an active @psu.edu email address can participate in either stage.

Note: You must log in to the submission form using your Penn State access ID (e.g., abc123). You cannot authenticate using an alias email address.

Best Fake News Story Awards

Given to the fake news story submissions that were most successful in fooling participants in the second stage into believing that they are real.

• 1st Place = $500
• 2nd Place = $300
• 3rd Place = $200

Top Detector Award

Four individuals who accurately identify the highest percentage of fake news stories will each receive $50.

Your involvement enables you to be a part of a growing movement led by CSRAI that champions socially responsible AI. Through this challenge and engagement with CSRAI, you can collaborate with Penn State's brightest minds in AI and ethics, while also shedding light on the pitfalls and shortcomings of existing AI tools and the challenges they can create. Ultimately, you will help pave the way for a more inclusive and unbiased AI future.

Contact Amulya Yadav, CSRAI Associate Director (Programs), at auy212@psu.edu, or Xinyu Wang, a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in informatics, at xzw5184@psu.edu.