Coinciding with the “Book and Reading Week,” Mehrad Kachouei, a graduate of the M.A. program in British Studies, donated two new books—translated by himself and published by “Nasl-e Roshan” Publications—to the Faculty of World Studies library. These two works, which serve as specialized and up-to-date resources in the fields of digital democracy and artificial intelligence, have been made available to researchers and students with the aim of enriching Persian academic resources.

Introduction to the Donated Works:

1. “Misinformation, Disinformation, and Democracy”

In an era where information flows through social media at the speed of light, the line between factual, fabricated, and misleading content has become thinner than ever—now compounded by the challenges of AI-generated fakes.

The phenomenon of misinformation and disinformation not only targets public opinion but has turned into a structural challenge for the foundations of contemporary democracies. Published by Cambridge University Press in 2025, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Democracy provides a comprehensive and legal response to this crisis of the digital age.

Developed with contributions from prominent scholars at universities such as Yale, Harvard, Melbourne, and Göttingen, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, the book adopts a comparative and systematic approach to the regulation of political speech. By meticulously analyzing legal frameworks across various regions—from the European Union and the United States to Chile, South Korea, India, and Africa—the authors demonstrate how to combat the flow of toxic information without sacrificing freedom of speech.

The book’s core message is clear: “The cure must not be more dangerous than the disease.” Beyond analyzing regulatory mechanisms, the work emphasizes the strategic role of civil society in democratic resilience and public education. This Persian edition aims to fill the gap in academic resources in this field and serves not only as a theoretical reference but as a practical roadmap for policymakers, lawyers, judges, and media researchers to safeguard democracy against the storm of misinformation.

2. “AI Snake Oil”

In an age where public and academic discourse surrounding artificial intelligence is entangled with sensationalist media hype, marketing claims, and misinformation, distinguishing between the true capabilities of this technology and its exaggerated applications has become a scholarly necessity.

AI Snake Oil, by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor, two distinguished computer scientists, provides a critical, evidence-based approach to analyzing the technical structures, computational limitations, and socio-economic consequences of AI. Instead of focusing on conventional speculative scenarios, this book centers on documented, ongoing harms in fields such as education, healthcare, employment, banking, insurance, and criminal justice. It reveals how the pervasive term “AI” often becomes a glamorous cover for inefficient algorithms or institutional biases.

Named a finalist for the PROSE Award in Computing and Information Sciences and praised by publications such as The New Yorker, this book is an essential and insightful resource for researchers and students seeking a documented, hype-free understanding of AI developments that adheres to academic standards. Don’t miss the interesting story behind the book’s title!