Disinformation Is Now an Industry

How to maintain trust when truth is under mass-scale attack

Disinformation is not just everywhere— it’s now delivered at a whole new scale. For organizations and societies that rely on accurate information, AI-powered falsehoods demand stronger defenses. In “A World Without Truth,” you’ll learn how to protect your organization from this rising threat.

About the book

Disinformation has evolved from isolated incidents to a global, industrialized supply chain threatening businesses, governments and society. The book explores the rise of generative AI and digital platforms that amplify falsehoods, and offers actionable strategies for organizations to disrupt the cycle. Each chapter delivers concise take-aways, making this essential reading for leaders seeking to protect trust and truth in the digital age.

This book is about how today’s digitally accelerated wave of misinformation and disinformation will challenge our world, and the steps companies need to take now to mitigate its reach and damage.

How disinformation is industrialized

Disinformation is now a sophisticated, organized business with its own supply chain. Commercial and political interests fund and direct campaigns to shape beliefs and behaviors — often targeting innovative businesses and vulnerable sectors.

  • Attacks are organized crime, not random acts.
  • Incumbents deploy disinformation to defend themselves or undermine disruptors.
  • Digital platforms make disinformation cheaper, more targeted and easier to spread.

AI supercharges the spread of falsehoods

Generative AI accelerates the creation and spread of convincing fake content, manipulating narratives and exploiting biases at scale.

  • Generative AI produces deepfakes, fake news and tailored disinformation.
  • AI models can be steered to reinforce specific worldviews.
  • Ad systems and bots amplify and legitimize false content.
  • AI’s alignment problem means it can be misused for commercial or political gain.

Steps organizations can take to fight back

The book provides actionable insights for organizations to defend themselves and society at large, including:

  • The TrustOps approach to restoring trust
  • Establishing monitoring and rapid response systems
  • Training AI to recognize and counter harmful content
  • Building “TrustNets” to ensure information integrity and transparency
  • Real-world case studies and solutions

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About the authors

Dave Aron, Distinguished VP Analyst and Gartner Fellow, guides boards and CxOs on digital strategy, generative AI, antifragility, simplification and the world without truth.

Andrew Frank, Distinguished VP Analyst and Gartner Fellow, focuses on emerging tech in marketing — especially generative AI and AI agents for content, advertising, CX and brand protection.

Richard Hunter, retired Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst and Fellow, has focused on digital business risk and IT value. He’s an acclaimed author and a world-renowned harmonica player.

What people are saying

“World Without Truth” is a wake-up call for every business leader navigating the digital age. In a world where disinformation spreads faster than facts, the integrity of our personal lives, businesses and institutions is under unprecedented threat. This book doesn’t just diagnose the problem — it offers a blueprint for resilience. The concept of TrustOps is a game changer, providing a structured, operational approach to restoring trust in information and decisions. I view this as essential reading for anyone serious about safeguarding the future of their organization and society at large. It’s not just a book — it’s a call to action.”

Garry Fingland
Chief Information Officer, The Weir Group PLC


“Digital Disinformation is potentially the biggest risk to individuals, organizations and governments in the coming AI revolution. ‘World Without Truth’ provides the insights to mitigate this potential tsunami of disinformation before it overwhelms the world as we once knew it.”

Jeffrey L. Sampler
Professor of Practice, University of Hong Kong


“‘World Without Truth’ delivers the essential, first-of-a-kind manual that corporations desperately need to begin to relate to the disinformation phenomenon. It’s a practical blueprint for getting their act together toward risk mitigation and eventually building defences. The book is set to establish the baseline corporate framework, eventually defining how customers and their various service providers engage. It will certainly help identify corporate stakeholders, assessing their needs and allocating budgets effectively. I am pretty sure that the very useful concept of TrustOps introduced within these pages is destined to rapidly become a recognized mission-critical block on any corporate org chart.“

David Gordon
Disinformation Researcher and Affiliate, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy


“‘World Without Truth’ is much more than a brilliant dissection of the mechanics of Industrialized Disinformation — it’s a blueprint for battle. Prescribing a truly innovative anti-fake-news counter-strategy called TrustOps, this book is a must-read for those of us who’d rather live in a world with truth.”

Martin Kihn
Bestselling author and digital strategist


“This book, ‘World Without Truth,’ suggests AI is a major problem. It claims LLMs amplify disinformation. LLMs simply process data provided by humans. The disinformation supply chain is funded and orchestrated by humans. Focusing on the tool, not the human hand wielding it, is misleading. The problem is human.”

An anonymous LLM