AI alone cannot stop the scourge of fake news
There has been a dizzying array of technological developments over the past few years.
As one simple example, self-driving cars are an elegant combination of mechanical engineering, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
As such, you would think that similar combinations of analogous technologies would be ripe for solving seemingly intractable socio-technical issues.
Given the current news obsession, think fake news.
Although major social media platforms are finally acknowledging their role in hosting various forms of disinformation, whether this online sharing was intentional or not, their methods may not be sufficient.
For example, some experts believe that even the smartest forms of artificial intelligence only match a four-year-old.
And maybe even more troubling, algorithms have even been used to put alternative words into the video of speakers’ mouths. In essence, the algorithms intended to assist a problem can even be used to make it worse.
Our tools seem to dictate our engagement with the tasks in front of us.
And although the major online platforms are becoming increasingly sophisticated, incorporating a human element in terms of surveying, curating, and limiting the spread of fake news online will most likely be our best solution to deal with fake news.
At least, that is, until AI becomes at least as smart as a five-year-old…
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