I believe AI won’t contribute to increasing disinformation.

Will AI Really Worsen the Disinformation Crisis? A Closer Look

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, a common concern has emerged: Will AI amplify the spread of disinformation? Many experts and skeptics alike worry that the ability of AI to generate vast amounts of content could flood the information landscape with dubious or misleading material.

This fear is rooted in observing the current digital environment. Social media platforms are filled with low-quality, AI-generated content—often called “disinformation slop.” It’s natural to assume that as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, the volume of false or manipulative information will also increase significantly.

However, I believe this perspective may overestimate AI’s impact on our information consumption habits. Consider the everyday activity of browsing short-form videos on TikTok or similar platforms. Whether the content is produced by humans or AI, I hypothesize that most users, including myself, tend to watch around 100 to 150 videos in a sitting. The presence of AI-generated content doesn’t necessarily increase this number; it simply becomes part of the existing mix.

Moreover, our engagement is largely driven by personal interest and entertainment preferences. Over the years, we’ve already been exposed to an enormous volume of human-generated disinformation—far exceeding what AI can currently produce. Adding a petabyte of AI-driven content to this already-overloaded ecosystem doesn’t drastically shift the landscape because the volume of content we consume remains relatively stable.

In terms of the kind of content that catches our attention, it’s typically a mixture: entertaining cat videos, viral mishaps, political clips that evoke emotion, and miscellaneous trending material. The overall proportion of disinformation—whether from humans or AI—likely remains consistent, as our media consumption patterns are inherently limited and preference-driven. AI doesn’t fundamentally alter the formats or the ways we process information; it simply adds more content to an already crowded space.

Interestingly, disinformation can sometimes be more insidious than outright falsehoods. For example, heavily edited clips or snippets of politicians or celebrities—something fast and easy to share—can subtly influence perceptions without appearing overtly deceptive. A quote cut from a speech or a manipulated video can spread just as effectively as blatant lies, often more quietly.

The most significant concern about AI-generated disinformation is the potential creation of doctored media—fake images, videos, or audio of public figures saying things they never said. While this new form of manipulation is worth monitoring, I remain skeptical that it will fundamentally alter the