I don’t think AI is going to make disinformation worse.

Will Artificial Intelligence Worsen the Disinformation Crisis? A Thoughtful Perspective

As AI technology continues to evolve and integrate into our digital lives, many are raising concerns about its potential to amplify the spread of disinformation. The prevailing fear is that AI could generate vast amounts of misleading content at scale, overwhelming our social media feeds and making it even harder to discern truth from falsehood.

However, I believe this apprehension might be overstated. To understand why, let’s consider a common activity: scrolling through popular short-form video platforms like TikTok. Whether AI is involved or not, the number of videos an average user consumes in a session remains relatively consistent—roughly 100 to 150 clips. The inclusion of AI-generated content doesn’t necessarily increase this volume; instead, it simply adds more material to the existing pool.

Moreover, human-generated disinformation has been proliferating at an unprecedented rate long before AI became prominent. Our capacity to process and filter content is limited, and despite the explosion of fake news and misleading narratives, our habits of consumption tend to remain stable. Essentially, whether the content is human-made or AI-created, the proportion of disinformation we encounter isn’t likely to change dramatically.

The formats often used to spread misleading information—such as short clips with edited context—are inherently flexible and effective. For example, a clip of a politician edited to suggest something they never said can be just as persuasive as outright lies presented in a speech. AI can make such doctored clips more convincing, but the core issue isn’t the technology itself; it’s the media literacy and critical thinking skills of viewers.

When considering the potential impact, it seems that AI-generated disinformation would simply add more noise rather than fundamentally alter the landscape. Our brains are somewhat wired to filter out or ignore some types of misleading content, especially when we’re primarily engaging with entertainment or emotionally driven videos.

In conclusion, while AI may introduce more sophisticated forms of disinformation—like realistic fake videos of celebrities or politicians—the overall volume of misleading content people encounter remains capped by human habits and media consumption patterns. The challenge, then, isn’t solely about stopping AI from creating more disinformation but ensuring that our media literacy keeps pace with technological advancements.

What are your thoughts on this perspective?