I believe AI won’t exacerbate the spread of false information.

Will Artificial Intelligence Exacerbate the Disinformation Challenge? An In-Depth Perspective

In recent discussions about AI’s impact on digital content, a common concern has emerged: will artificial intelligence significantly amplify the spread of disinformation? Many fear that, with AI’s ability to generate vast amounts of seemingly credible content, the online landscape will become increasingly flooded with misleading or false information.

However, upon closer examination, this apprehension may not be entirely justified. Consider this: whether we’re browsing social media, watching short videos, or scrolling through feeds, most of us tend to consume a relatively fixed volume of content daily. Even with the introduction of AI-generated material, the amount of content we can realistically process remains bounded by our attention span and interests.

For instance, if I were to spend a typical evening scrolling through platforms like TikTok, I might view around 100 to 150 videos. Whether these clips are produced by humans or crafted by AI, the total number I can encounter within a given timeframe is largely unchanged. The critical point is that the volume of content presenting disinformation has already been substantial, generated by human creators long before AI’s rise. Adding AI-generated content doesn’t necessarily increase the quantity of disinformation that reaches me; it merely alters the source.

Furthermore, my media consumption patterns tend to be consistent over time. I gravitate toward certain formats—cat videos, amusing fails, emotional political clips—and these preferences remain stable. Even if AI injects more disinformation into these formats, it’s unlikely to significantly alter the proportion of misleading content I engage with, simply because my interests and the inherent biases of my consumption habits set natural limits.

It’s also worth noting that disinformation often thrives in subtle, less conspicuous formats. For example, edited clips or provocative snippets—for instance, a doctored statement from a public figure—can be more persuasive than blatant falsehoods. AI can produce these convincingly, creating content that looks authentic but is misleading. Nonetheless, given the sheer volume of media I already encounter daily, this incremental addition might not substantially deepen the disinformation problem in my personal experience.

Ultimately, the concern that AI will dramatically worsen disinformation is valid to an extent but perhaps overstated. Our cognitive and media consumption patterns, along with the ever-present flood of human-made content, act as natural filters. AI-generated disinformation may shape the landscape, but it will not necessarily lead to an exponential increase in the content we are exposed to or our likelihood