Expert Ngô Minh Hiếu Warns of Fake-News Maze and Wave of AI Scams

A few seconds of video can shape the thinking of millions, and that gives Vietnam’s influencers a role that extends far beyond entertainment, cybersecurity expert Ngô Minh Hiếu says.

Hiếu, director of the Chongluadao.vn Anti-Scam Project, argues that KOLs and KOCs should become an extended arm of the police. Their task, he says, is to turn complicated technical warnings into useful, positive guidance that can protect the public.

His comments come as Vietnam prepares for the second national KOL Summit, scheduled for September 7 at Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City. More than 1,000 delegates are expected, including regulators, technology companies, cybersecurity specialists and more than 500 artists, KOLs, KOCs and leading content creators.

Held under the theme “KOLs and the Journey to Building Digital Trust,” the annual forum arrives as the online space faces a difficult test of conduct, professional ethics and information security. Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how content is created, spread and consumed. The central question is no longer simply who has influence, but what that influence will create for the community.

Hiếu describes today’s biggest problem as an excess of information rather than a shortage. False reports, altered images, deepfakes and AI-generated material can spread at extraordinary speed, while ordinary users may take only seconds to trust what they see or click on it. AI is also enabling deepfake voice and image scams, including extortion targeting families and children who have not yet developed strong digital defenses. If influence moves faster than caution and verification skills, creators can unintentionally become tools for manipulating public trust.

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The problem today is no longer a lack of information, but information overload and the difficulty of distinguishing truth from falsehood.