I think it really has increased in the last 10-15 years with pretty cheap troll farms having massive reach. It’s also extended to just harming trust in general I think. I’m pretty sure there are troll farm posts on all the sites with comments or replies saying outrageously misogynistic or misandrist or ageist about old people or gen z etc things. Then they’re amplifying each other to make a view approximately zero real people have seem mainstream-ish to just generally lower social trust.
I don’t even think it’s political in a partisan sense, just trying to spread rancor and divisiveness all around to impair societal trust and function.
I’m not sure how much AI changes this, but I’m nervous because of the direction of the trend.
It is not about politics (people who say this don’t like it when they think someone is disagreeing with their politics) what it is about is people and how people will use AI. Both “sides” of politics are made up of people.
Australian politics says hold my beer.
Our Prime Minister is widely referred to as AnAl (Anthony Albanese), he is also called Airbus Albo and Upgrade Albanese, a slogan is Things won’t be easy under Albanese- if the other side was in it would be the same. eg one was called the Mad Monk.
Ah, that’s from a good quote about how if you don’t watch the news you’re uninformed and if you do watch it then you’re misinformed.
I’ve always liked the quote “believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see”
Look at all the influencers on TikTok who recently came out and admitted that much of what they do and say is a lie. This video is almost 20 years old but it’s a brief glimpse of what goes into advertising/beauty shots:
AI image generators don’t really “understand” anything and they’re only as capable as the image set they were trained on. They don’t even understand an image as a whole, just the elements in the image.
They’re still pretty bad with fingers and eyes and that’s just because there are so many ways that these can appear in an image… most humans are pretty good at knowing what they should look like.
You can be sure of that! Most of the AITA threads are fake and many of the good Facebook pages have been taken over in the past 4 or 5 years and now only post stuff to rage bait people. I’m sure that many of the commenters in those posts are also bots aimed at increasing engagement and they know that angry people are more likely to engage. Everything is now designed to push people further to the left or right, to make us fight each other.
One must still recognize that the idiots online are not a good representation of all of society, they’re just more visible. In my experience talking with a lot of people, people on social media are not “real” and we can’t let ourselves believe that the world is going to hell because of these people. Most intelligent people recognize that there’s no use trying to reason with idiots and they stay clear. My experience is that more and more people are becoming aware of and being able to recognize content from AI/bots that’s designed to get people to click/share/comment and they’re refusing to engage with it.
The worst consequence I’ve seen of all this crap is that instead of distrusting the low effort garbage, people don’t trust the real stuff anymore either. In the war of disinformation, there’s nothing more dangerous than a stupid person who thinks they’re smart people will get better at recognizing fake content, just like they became aware of snake oil salesmen.
I read an analysis a few years ago that “certain actors” want to do just that, to weaken “certain countries”.
It weakens democracy, as the enemy of the people becomes … the people themselves.
I have seen the effects of disinformation and polarization up close with friends and family in recent years. Even with intelligent people, even with people that are really good at heart.
But I’m sure that just about everybody here has experienced something similar … the sudden division by opinions and hardening of arguments…
I have one friend where I can almost predict the next thing he wants to “discuss”, based on analysis of topics that are emitted by Russian troll factories.
It’s sad and frightening…
Oh that reminds me of a Channel 4 (UK) documentary just before the last election. They took a couple of dozen “normal” people and fed them with tons of AI generated political posts (fakes) through a special app. After a couple of weeks, they got them to vote and (spoiler) found the AI content appeared to influence their decisions.
OK that was expected but one of the participants (after finding out about the fake AI content) just says “Well there’s no point voting anymore” and I’m like “no no no that’s not the point…”
IMO the bigger problem is that most people don’t have the time / interest / understanding to read into an issue and they rely on soundbites and stupid social media posts to make decisions. It’s been that way since TV became the dominant medium - check Amusing Ourselves to Death by Postman
we are getting a little too close to the sun now, it feels. I don’t want my wings to fall off suddenly, so perhaps best to let things rest now and seek out cooler environments.
I was gonna let an AI make a summary of this thread, but that would have been too cheeky really
Please, do that! It would be a great finale for this thread!!!
EDIT This is what Word’s CoPilot gives me.
Here’s a summary of the document:
The document is a discussion thread about a video where everything, including the behind-the-scenes footage, is AI-generated. The conversation revolves around the implications of AI technology in creating realistic yet fake content and its potential impact on society.
AI-generated video discussion: The thread begins with a discussion about a video where everything, including the behind-the-scenes footage, is AI-generated, with only the creator’s interview being real. It took the creator three weeks to make it.1
Concerns about misinformation: Several users express concerns about society’s readiness to handle the misinformation that could arise from such advanced AI technology, considering it a significant threat.
AI’s impact on perception: Users discuss how AI-generated content can leave lasting impressions even if people know it’s fake, emphasizing the potential for propaganda.
Believability and flaws: While some users note the flaws in the AI-generated video, they highlight that many people might still believe it to be real, especially if it aligns with their preconceptions.
AI in music generation: There is a discussion about AI-generated music, with users sharing their experiences and opinions on its quality and potential applications.
Historical skepticism: Some users draw parallels between current AI skepticism and past technological advancements, suggesting that society will eventually adapt.
Distrust in media: Participants express concerns about the increasing difficulty in distinguishing between real and fake content, leading to a general distrust in media.
Political implications: The discussion touches on the political implications of AI-generated content and its use in propaganda, with references to historical examples of misinformation.
Future of AI and human creativity: There is a debate about the future of AI in creative fields, with some users optimistic about human ingenuity prevailing while others express concern over AI’s potential to dominate.
Societal adaptation: Overall, users believe that society will need to adapt to the new realities of AI-generated content, learning to critically evaluate and verify information.
Me again (really :-)):
Of course, ChatGPT closes with this remark: “society will need to adapt to the new realities of AI-generated content”
