The Power of AI

As I alluded to last week, I’m not a lover of artificial intelligence (AI). I understand that my primary point of reference for the technology are movies; “The Terminator” comes to mind.
According to Wikipedia, AI “is the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception and decision-making. It is a field of research in computer science that develops and studies methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning and intelligence to take actions that maximize their chances of achieving defined goals.”

This week my skepticism was somewhat rewarded when I learned that an explosion of AI “slop” on social media was directed at talk show host Rachel Maddow. Among the made-up “facts” was that a) she owned a house in Texas; b) she had to be rescued from said house during the floods; c) she helped rescue flood victims; d) she has a baby; e) she is starting her own news network.

Now, I’m not a follower of Maddow; in fact, her fight with AI-manufactured information had to be told to me – I didn’t learn of it firsthand. But once I did a little digging (very little – it wasn’t hard to find a video of her debunking these fabrications) I applauded her. 

Like I’ve been saying for some time, anyone can write anything on social media. If you need examples, consider Hillary Clinton and “Pizzagate.” That fiasco went viral  (i.e., defined as objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them). According to Wikipedia, “‘Pizzagate’ is a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 United States presidential election cycle, falsely claiming that the New York City Police Department had discovered a pedophilia ring linked to members of the Democratic Party while searching through Anthony Weiner’s emails. It has been extensively discredited by a wide range of organizations, including the Washington, D.C. police.” 

And with the advent of AI and the falsehoods easily spread, Maddow noted, “fake stories are more compelling.” She added that AI will (easily) create any video or picture that is needed to make social media posts that much more compelling to “click” on – which is where the money is made.

She’s quick to point out that it’s not the fault of the viewer to believe what they see – AI is very good in creating “believable” content.

She lauded the use of “trusted sources of information” – something that we here at CVW take great pride in being.

So once again I am on my soapbox: Social media has its place – but not as a trusted source for information.