Motive
Many times, news stations and journalists will over-exaggerate or catastrophize situations that involve political, social, and economic impact. We see misinformation every day and consume it without a single thought. Our goal is to create a chrome extension that will allow users to discover the hard facts about what they are being told online.
What it does
Our tool focuses on detecting misinformation and identifying inflammatory or biased language when given a phrase or quote. The extension compiles an overview using several sources to deliver a neutral account of the prompt. By providing clear insights into the reliability and tone of the content you read, Truth Lens helps you navigate information critically online.
How we built it
We leveraged the Gemini and Google APIs to access and verify information in real time and utilized Chrome’s extension APIs to integrate our extension into the browser. For development efficiency and package management, we used Node.js and npm.
Challenges we ran into
We encountered several issues with Gemini API limitations as each prompt required searching and processing sources several times. In addition, Chrome's API afforded very little customization in interface and direct DOM manipulation was difficult.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of being able to integrate Gemini's API with our user interface and leverage the Google Programmable Search Engine API to build a custom data pipeline, allowing us to source and analyze curated information in real-time to help users be more knowledgable.
What we learned
Working with the Gemini API taught us how to integrate AI models using multimodal inputs and advanced techniques like Function Calling for external tools. We also learned how to leverage Google's Search Engine API to ground AI responses with real-time, external data, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Finally, we gained practical knowledge in developing Chrome Extensions by understanding their core components, such as the manifest.json, content scripts, and background service workers, to build browser-integrated applications.
What's next for Truth-Lens
We plan to expand Truth-Lens into a scalable tool with broader source coverage from trusted domains, improved context understanding, and real-time inline highlighting of biased or misleading language. Our next steps include enhancing user control over sources, adding educational features like dashboards for media literacy, and optimizing performance for seamless use. Ultimately, we aim to transform Truth-Lens from a hackathon prototype into a reliable, everyday tool that empowers users to critically evaluate online information.
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