Science Facts, a joint initiative of the China Association for Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the State Administration for Market Regulation to dismiss science rumors, was launched in Beijing on Aug. 30.

Under the initiative, participating websites, including people.cn, xinhuanet.com, qq.com, baidu.com, Sina Weibo, toutiao.com, and kepuchina.cn, will send suspected rumors to a designated platform where AI will help identify facts from rumors. The results will then be sent back to the participating websites to stop rumors from further circulating.

In cases where AI is unable to fulfill its job, experts recruited for the initiative will use their expertise to identify the rumors and offer explanations.

So far, 516 renowned experts have been recruited for the initiative whose know-how covers 14 fields including food safety, nutrition, biology, agricultural technology and aerospace.

At a time when cyberspace has become an indispensable part of people’s lives and a place for spreading false information and rumors, the initiative aims to improve the public’s science literacy and increase their ability to analyze, question and think independently in the face of rumors, said Huai Jinpeng, executive vice president of the China Association for Science and Technology at the launch ceremony.

The number of internet users in China has hit 854 million as of June 2019, with an internet penetration rate of 61.2 percent, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

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