Integration of Deep Reinforcement Learning and Agent-based Simulation to Explore Strategies Counteracting Information Disorder

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lomasto, Luigi, Camoia, Andrea, Guarino, Alfonso, Lettieri, Nicola, Malandrino, Delfina, Zaccagnino, Rocco
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Lomasto, Luigi
Camoia, Andrea
Guarino, Alfonso
Lettieri, Nicola
Malandrino, Delfina
Zaccagnino, Rocco
author_facet Lomasto, Luigi
Camoia, Andrea
Guarino, Alfonso
Lettieri, Nicola
Malandrino, Delfina
Zaccagnino, Rocco
contents In recent years, the spread of fake news has triggered a growing interest in Information Disorders (ID) on social media, a phenomenon that has become a focal point of research across fields ranging from complexity theory and computer science to cognitive sciences. Overall, such a body of research can be traced back to two main approaches. On the one hand, there are works focused on exploiting data mining to analyze the content of news and related metadata data-driven approach; on the other hand, works are aiming at making sense of the phenomenon at hand and their evolution using explicit simulation models model-driven approach). In this paper, we integrate these approaches to explore strategies for counteracting IDs. Heading in this direction, we put together: i. an Agent-Based model to simulate in a scientifically sound way both complex fake news dynamics and the effects produced by containment strategies therein; ii. Deep Reinforcement Learning to learn the strategies that can better mitigate the spread of misinformation. The outcomes of our work unfold on different levels. From a substantive point of view, the results of preliminary experiments started providing interesting cues about the conditions under which given policies can mitigate the spread of misinformation. From a technical and methodological point of view, we scratched the surface of promising and worthy research topics like the integration of social simulation and artificial intelligence and the enhancement of social science simulation environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_13047
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Integration of Deep Reinforcement Learning and Agent-based Simulation to Explore Strategies Counteracting Information Disorder
Lomasto, Luigi
Camoia, Andrea
Guarino, Alfonso
Lettieri, Nicola
Malandrino, Delfina
Zaccagnino, Rocco
Social and Information Networks
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
68T05, 91D30, 68Q32
I.2.6; I.6.5; J.4
In recent years, the spread of fake news has triggered a growing interest in Information Disorders (ID) on social media, a phenomenon that has become a focal point of research across fields ranging from complexity theory and computer science to cognitive sciences. Overall, such a body of research can be traced back to two main approaches. On the one hand, there are works focused on exploiting data mining to analyze the content of news and related metadata data-driven approach; on the other hand, works are aiming at making sense of the phenomenon at hand and their evolution using explicit simulation models model-driven approach). In this paper, we integrate these approaches to explore strategies for counteracting IDs. Heading in this direction, we put together: i. an Agent-Based model to simulate in a scientifically sound way both complex fake news dynamics and the effects produced by containment strategies therein; ii. Deep Reinforcement Learning to learn the strategies that can better mitigate the spread of misinformation. The outcomes of our work unfold on different levels. From a substantive point of view, the results of preliminary experiments started providing interesting cues about the conditions under which given policies can mitigate the spread of misinformation. From a technical and methodological point of view, we scratched the surface of promising and worthy research topics like the integration of social simulation and artificial intelligence and the enhancement of social science simulation environments.
title Integration of Deep Reinforcement Learning and Agent-based Simulation to Explore Strategies Counteracting Information Disorder
topic Social and Information Networks
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
68T05, 91D30, 68Q32
I.2.6; I.6.5; J.4
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.13047