Will AI Really Worsen the Disinformation Crisis? A Rational Perspective
In recent discussions, many have expressed concern that Artificial Intelligence will significantly amplify the spread of misinformation and disinformation online. The worry is that AI’s capacity to generate vast amounts of content at scale will flood social media platforms with “junk,” making it even harder to discern truth from falsehood.
But I believe this narrative may be overstated.
Consider how we consume content on our devices. Whether I pick up my phone or you pick yours, the typical experience involves browsing through a limited number of short-form videos or posts — say, around 100 to 150 pieces at a time. Whether those are AI-generated or human-created, the total volume of content we view doesn’t necessarily expand because of AI. Our attention span and content consumption habits remain relatively consistent.
Moreover, social media algorithms tend to surface content based on user preferences rather than the source’s origin. As a result, the existing flow of disinformation — produced by humans over countless years — already saturates our feeds. Adding more AI-generated misinformation doesn’t fundamentally change the mix; it just means the volume increases, but the proportion of content I engage with remains similar.
From a practical standpoint, my media diet generally falls into a few categories: humorous videos (like cats doing funny things), viral fails, political commentary, and miscellaneous entertainment. The relative distribution of what I see hasn’t changed much over the past five years, nor do I expect AI to shift my engagement patterns significantly. My brain is wired to process these formats, and AI-driven content doesn’t seem to alter that fundamental dynamic.
An area where AI might introduce a subtle advantage is in the creation of more convincing but misleading media, such as doctored video clips of public figures. These can be more deceptive because they look authentic at a glance and are presented within familiar formats. However, given the sheer volume of disinformation already circulating, I believe this will merely add another layer rather than cause a seismic shift.
In essence, while AI can produce sophisticated content, the way we consume media and process information tends to filter out most of the noise. The real challenge is discerning truth amidst the existing tide of human-generated misinformation — AI’s contribution may not significantly tilt this balance.
What are your thoughts?
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