In the digital media landscape, the proportion of content created by generative artificial intelligence is increasing. The mass presentation of AI-generated content, particularly on social media, gives the impression that the majority of the population is aware of these relatively new opportunities. However, our latest survey shows that only 38% of Czechs and 43% of Slovaks have had at least occasional practical experience of actually using generative AI tools, especially younger respondents who have not yet completed their secondary education.
On a daily basis, 7% of Czechs and 11% of Slovaks use tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Canva AI, Midjourney, and others. 14% of Czechs and 17% of Slovaks use these tools at least once a week.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools has been adopted mainly by members of the younger generation. Among people aged 16 to 24, approximately a quarter in the Czech Republic and less than a third in Slovakia use these tools daily. On a weekly basis, less than half of the respondents in the Czech Republic and two out of five respondents in Slovakia belong to this age group. This applies mainly to students. In both countries, the use of generative AI declines sharply with the increasing age of respondents.
Although the proportion of users of generative AI tools in the population is still relatively small, the CEDMO Trends longitudinal survey shows that there has been a year-on-year increase in both populations surveyed. While last year 74% of Czechs and 64% of Slovaks declared that they do not use generative AI tools at all, this year the figure is already 12% lower for Czechs and 7% lower for Slovaks.
Using generative artificial intelligence tools
Chart 1: Survey question “How often do you currently use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Canva AI, Midjourney, etc.?”, Source: CEDMO Trends CR (Median) and CEDMO Trends SR (Ipsos)
Confidence in generative AI responses
“Most users declare a wary approach to generative AI tools. More than half (53%) of Czech users and three-fifths (60%) of Slovak users say they tend to trust the outputs, but at the same time verify them from other information sources,” says Ivan Ruta Cuker, sociologist and data analyst at CEDMO Hub, adding, “The most common tool for verifying data provided by generative AI models is an internet search engine, which is chosen by 82% of users in the Czech Republic and 73% of users in Slovakia.”
Entirely generative AI is trusted by 4% of Czech and 6% of Slovak users, who do not verify the generated outputs further. On the other hand, 6% of Czechs and 3% of Slovaks do not trust its outputs at all.
Chart 2: Survey question, “How do you rate your confidence in the answers provided by generative AI?” Source: CEDMO Trends CR (Median) and CEDMO Trends SR (Ipsos)
“Women (9%) are significantly more likely than the general population, but also men (4%), to completely trust AI-generated answers. Higher levels of complete trust can also be observed in the 16 to 24 age group (12%) and in the part of the population that is satisfied with the functioning of democracy in Slovakia (15%),” says Paula Ivankova, sociologist and researcher at IPSOS, who is conducting the data collection in Slovakia for the CEDMO Trends survey, expanding on the behaviour of Slovak users: “People aged 35 to 44 trust AI outputs, but they are more likely to verify them from other sources (68%). In contrast, 55 to 64-year-olds (39%) and people with a university degree (37%) were more likely to report that they do not trust the outputs generated by AI and use them with caution. In terms of policy preferences, the population’s views also differ. The highest level of distrust towards AI outputs was expressed by SMER-SD voters, with 43% of them saying that they rather distrust AI-generated answers and take them with a grain of salt, which is more than just under a third of the entire population.”
Ethical aspects of AI tools
The demand for user security dominates among Czech and Slovak respondents. A large majority (85% of Czechs and 76% of Slovaks) say that AI tools should respect user privacy. A very high proportion of respondents also call for thorough testing of these new technologies (81% of Czechs, 72% of Slovaks) to ensure that they work as expected. According to 80% of Czechs and 75% of Slovaks, users should be informed about the system’s purpose, including how it works and what limitations can be expected.
Deepfake videos in Czech Republic
Approximately one-third of Czech citizens, namely 32-36%, record any deepfake videos on the Internet in the long term. Recently, fraudulent deepfake videos exploiting the faces of well-known doctors and other healthcare professionals have appeared on social media. For example, Demagog.cz highlighted a video edited by artificial intelligence that used the face of surgeon Pavel Pafko to promote a “miracle” anti-hypertension drug. Footage was also doctored that purportedly shows epidemiologist Roman Prymula on CNN Prima NEWS warning against vaccination against COVID-19 and talking about the previously concealed dangerous consequences of vaccination.
In April 2025, the CEDMO hub’s fact-checkers from both AFP and Demagog.cz investigated a false report circulating on social media that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had bought a stake in a South African mining firm. However, as fact-checking analyses show, the alleged South African TV report is a fake that bears signs of the use of artificial intelligence. No such report actually appeared on television, and Zelensky did not buy any shares in the mining company. Fact-checkers have also warned that the video is most likely part of a Russian influence operation.
A new type of fraudulent advertisement has recently been spreading in the Czech online space, which has been analyzed by fact-checkers from Demagog.cz.These posts target mainly people who have been scammed and lost money on the internet in the past. The ads promise them support or a direct refund of their lost money. The scammers try to appear credible and often use the faces of Czech politicians, who appear in the ads both in photographs and in deepfake videos. In addition, the fraudulent sites to which these ads link use the faces of celebrities, logos of well-known banks, large companies, ministries, or even the police.
Other fraudulent advertisements lure social network users into the possibility of earning a steady passive income of tens of thousands of crowns per month. In this case, too, the scammers use the faces and names of well-known Czech politicians who, in fictitious conversations, lure people to “unused tax money” and to a fraudulent investment platform that supposedly invests in global markets with the help of artificial intelligence.
Deepfake videos in Slovakia
Approximately four tenths of Slovak citizens, namely 39-41%, have been watching any deepfake videos on the Internet for a long time. In April 2025, a short video went viral showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky staggering away from his car while visiting Finland, with a member of the security detail having to support him. However, Demagog.sk pointed out that the video was generated by artificial intelligence from a photograph. The AI incorrectly displayed details of the car, uniform, and registration plate. Moreover, the actual course of Zelensky’s visit is recorded in both the photos and the video.
A similar video, created by artificial intelligence, in which Zelensky exits a car with the assistance of a bodyguard, went viral in Slovakia in January 2025, reaching two million views. Both videos spread the long-standing false narrative of Russian propaganda that the Ukrainian president uses drugs.
In September 2024, a photo of Olympic boxing champion Imán Khalifa went viral on social media, allegedly proving that the athlete was in fact a man. However, the image was created by artificial intelligence, as indicated by such things as a deformed hand, knee, or a caption and face in the background. In addition, fact-checkers from Demagog.sk traced the origin of the image to the social network X, where it was stated that it was created using the Midjourney tool.
Fraudulent advertisements luring users to invest repeatedly appear in the Slovak online space. A paid advertisement with an image created by artificial intelligence and a shocking headline links to a site that very plausibly copies the look of Slovak media. In the interview, the reader finds a tip about an investment platform that promises unrealistically high returns. Demagog.sk described this scheme back in May 2024, and since then, a number of new ads and web domains hosting the fake site have appeared every few days. In the spring of 2025, fact-checkers were still encountering these scams.
The thematic report is available in the following versions:
- CEDMO Special Brief (data Czech Republic, Slovakia) – in Czech
- CEDMO Special Brief (data Czech Republic, Slovakia) – in Slovak
- CEDMO Special Brief (data Czech Republic, Slovakia) – in English
CEDMO Trends offers exceptional insight into the evolution of the population’s behaviour in the consumption of different types of media content, focusing on particular types of information disorders such as misinformation and disinformation. These not only undermine public trust in the institutions necessary for the functioning of a pluralistic democracy, but can also amplify individual infodemias. It is being carried out in the Czech Republic by the research agency Median for the Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO) on a representative sample of 2,700-3,000 respondents aged 16 and older. In Slovakia, it is carried out by the research agency IPSOS on a representative sample of more than 1 600 – 2 300 respondents over 16 years of age.
The CEDMO TRENDS research in the Czech Republic is funded by the National Recovery Plan under the project 1.4 CEDMO 1 – Z220312000000 Support to increase the impact, innovation and sustainability of CEDMO in the Czech Republic. The data collection in Slovakia is funded by the National Recovery Plan – project called MPO 60273/24/21300/21000 CEDMO 2.0 NPO.
CEDMO Special Brief: Generative AI and Deepfake in a Comparative Czech-Slovak Perspective was developed within the project 101158609 co-funded by the European Union under the call DIGITAL-2023-DEPLOY-04. The content of this publication and press release reflects the views only of the independent CEDMO consortium, and the European Commission cannot therefore be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
