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

Will AI Worsen the Disinformation Crisis? A Closer Look

As AI technology advances, many fear it may escalate the spread of false information across digital platforms. The prevailing concern is that AI-generated content could flood social media, making it increasingly challenging to discern truth from fiction. However, upon closer examination, this perspective might overstate the impact of AI on disinformation proliferation.

Understanding Content Consumption Patterns

Consider the typical experience of someone browsing TikTok or similar platforms. Most users, myself included, tend to consume a limited volume of short-form videos—roughly 100 to 150 in a session. Whether these videos are AI-generated or created by humans doesn’t significantly alter the total content intake. The sheer volume of available material is already overwhelming, with human-made disinformation existing at scale long before AI’s rise.

The Nature of Disinformation and User Behavior

The types of content that users find engaging tend to remain consistent over the years. Whether it’s cat videos, viral falls, political debates, or miscellaneous clips, these categories dominate our feeds. The introduction of more AI-generated content doesn’t necessarily increase the proportion of disinformation we encounter because our personal consumption habits—and the algorithms that curate our feeds—are more attuned to what catches our interest than to the origin of the content.

The Subtlety of Modern Disinformation

Today’s disinformation often takes more covert forms rather than blatant falsehoods. For instance, edited clips of public figures or sensationalized snippets can be persuasive without being outright lies. Think of viral snippets where a politician’s words are taken out of context or exaggerated, often amplified by influencers or hosts who might not initially intend to spread falsehoods. Such formats are more insidious, yet AI doesn’t fundamentally change this dynamic—it simply provides new tools for crafting convincing content.

Will AI Significantly Amplify Disinformation?

The central question remains: does AI’s ability to generate synthetic media significantly worsen the disinformation problem? Given the vast amount of disinformation already circulating and the ways people tend to consume media, the answer may be that AI’s impact is less drastic than feared. The human element—our habits, our attention span, and the content types we gravitate toward—remains a key factor. AI might produce more content, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we are exposed to more disinformation relative to what we already encounter.

Final Thoughts

While AI can facilitate more sophisticated disinformation campaigns, its effect might