Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and fake news detection. It also intended to explore the negative effects of fake news on society and to find out trending techniques for fake news detection. Design/methodology/approach “Preferred Reporting Items for the Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” were applied as a research methodology for conducting the study. Twenty-five peer-reviewed, most relevant core studies were included to carry out a systematic literature review. Findings Findings illustrated that AI has a strong positive relationship with the detection of fake news. The study displayed that fake news caused emotional problems, threats to important institutions of the state and a bad impact on culture. Results of the study also revealed that big data analytics, fact-checking websites, automatic detection tools and digital literacy proved fruitful in identifying fake news. Originality/value The study offers theoretical implications for the researchers to further explore the area of AI in relation to fake news detection. It also provides managerial implications for educationists, IT experts and policymakers. This study is an important benchmark to control the generation and dissemination of fake news on social media platforms.