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It's not so much AI that is 'killing truth.' What's killing truth is the younger generation's inability and/or refusal to ferret out the truth; i.e., their inability to think for themselves. Even Politico ran a piece on... How Gen Z Became the Most Gullible Generation
As I indicated earlier, it's the same issue we've faced throughout human history. AI isn't so much 'killing' the Internet as it is 'feeding' upon the largely 'uncontrolled nature' of it coupled with the lack of formal and real world 'education' of the up and coming generations.
It's little wonder that a country like China is becoming and actually is a major competitor vis a vis AI. Just to give the post an 'ironic' twist, here's what Google's AI says...
As I said before, the reality is it all comes down to profit motives and 'profit' isn't simply about dollars and cents. It's about deriving some 'value' or 'gain' or 'benefit.'
...“There is this myth of the digital native, that because some people have grown up with digital devices, they are well equipped to make sense of the information that those devices provide,” says Joel Breakstone, who led the 2021 study. “The results were sobering.”
It’s a startling reality about Gen Z, backed up by multiple studies and what we can all see for ourselves: The most online generation is also the worst at discerning fact from fiction on the internet.
That becomes an issue when the internet — and specifically, social media — has become the main source of news for the younger generation. About three in five Gen Zers, from between the ages of 13 and 26, say they get their news from social media at least once a week. TikTok is a particularly popular platform: 45 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 said they were regular news consumers on the app.
While social media may make news more accessible, there’s also little quality control to the information on the platforms. And although people of all ages are bad at detecting misinformation — which is only getting harder amid the rise of AI — members of Gen Z are particularly vulnerable to being fooled. Why? There’s a dangerous feedback loop at play. Many young people are growing deeply skeptical of institutions and more inclined toward conspiracy theories, which makes them shun mainstream news outlets and immerse themselves in narrow online communities — which then feeds them fabrications based on powerful algorithms and further deepens their distrust. It’s the kind of media consumption that differs drastically from older generations who spend far more time with mainstream media, and the consequences can be grim...
The common thread in all these viral conspiracy theories on TikTok is that they are fueled by distrust of institutions — from schools to the National Weather Service to the medical establishment. And that sentiment carries over to the media: Only 16 percent of Gen Zers have strong confidence in the news. It’s no surprise then that so many young people are shunning traditional publications and seeking their news on social media, often from unverified accounts that do little fact-checking.
The ramifications are potentially huge for American politics. Without some sort of course correction, a growing piece of the electorate will find itself falling victim to fake news and fringe conspiracy theories online — likely driving the hyperpolarization of our politics to new heights...
And this is a bipartisan trend: President Donald Trump’s fans and haters are both just as likely to fall for fake information that already conforms to their worldview...
Young people aren’t solely to blame for their lack of digital literacy.
In school, students are taught to read closely and carefully — which misinformation researchers say has unintentionally enforced the idea that students should drill into a single video and determine its accuracy with their eyes, rather than leave the page and open Google. The technology of misinformation is advancing rapidly, and it is becoming impossible to differentiate what’s true from what’s false with mere observation. For older generations, who came to the internet later in life, there’s still at least some natural skepticism toward what they see online. For the youth, it must be taught.
Gen Zers are uniquely vulnerable to misinformation compared to older age groups not just because of their social media habits, says Rakoen Maertens, a behavioral scientist at the University of Oxford, but because they have fewer lived experiences and knowledge to discern reality...
It’s a startling reality about Gen Z, backed up by multiple studies and what we can all see for ourselves: The most online generation is also the worst at discerning fact from fiction on the internet.
That becomes an issue when the internet — and specifically, social media — has become the main source of news for the younger generation. About three in five Gen Zers, from between the ages of 13 and 26, say they get their news from social media at least once a week. TikTok is a particularly popular platform: 45 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 said they were regular news consumers on the app.
While social media may make news more accessible, there’s also little quality control to the information on the platforms. And although people of all ages are bad at detecting misinformation — which is only getting harder amid the rise of AI — members of Gen Z are particularly vulnerable to being fooled. Why? There’s a dangerous feedback loop at play. Many young people are growing deeply skeptical of institutions and more inclined toward conspiracy theories, which makes them shun mainstream news outlets and immerse themselves in narrow online communities — which then feeds them fabrications based on powerful algorithms and further deepens their distrust. It’s the kind of media consumption that differs drastically from older generations who spend far more time with mainstream media, and the consequences can be grim...
The common thread in all these viral conspiracy theories on TikTok is that they are fueled by distrust of institutions — from schools to the National Weather Service to the medical establishment. And that sentiment carries over to the media: Only 16 percent of Gen Zers have strong confidence in the news. It’s no surprise then that so many young people are shunning traditional publications and seeking their news on social media, often from unverified accounts that do little fact-checking.
The ramifications are potentially huge for American politics. Without some sort of course correction, a growing piece of the electorate will find itself falling victim to fake news and fringe conspiracy theories online — likely driving the hyperpolarization of our politics to new heights...
And this is a bipartisan trend: President Donald Trump’s fans and haters are both just as likely to fall for fake information that already conforms to their worldview...
Young people aren’t solely to blame for their lack of digital literacy.
In school, students are taught to read closely and carefully — which misinformation researchers say has unintentionally enforced the idea that students should drill into a single video and determine its accuracy with their eyes, rather than leave the page and open Google. The technology of misinformation is advancing rapidly, and it is becoming impossible to differentiate what’s true from what’s false with mere observation. For older generations, who came to the internet later in life, there’s still at least some natural skepticism toward what they see online. For the youth, it must be taught.
Gen Zers are uniquely vulnerable to misinformation compared to older age groups not just because of their social media habits, says Rakoen Maertens, a behavioral scientist at the University of Oxford, but because they have fewer lived experiences and knowledge to discern reality...
It's little wonder that a country like China is becoming and actually is a major competitor vis a vis AI. Just to give the post an 'ironic' twist, here's what Google's AI says...
The United States is the leading country in AI, outperforming others in areas like private investment, AI compute power, and the development of notable AI models. However, China is a major competitor, particularly in AI publications and patents, and is closing the performance gap in key areas like model development.
- United States: Consistently ranked as the leader, with a significant lead in private investment, the number of notable AI models developed, and overall AI ecosystem strength. It holds a majority of the world's AI compute power.
- China: A strong competitor, especially in AI research papers and patents. China is rapidly closing the performance gap with the U.S. on key benchmarks for AI models.
- Other notable countries:
- Europe: As a whole, Europe is gaining ground and has made significant progress in model development.
- France: Has a high level of AI compute capacity and is a leader in AI model development.
- United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia: Rank highly in terms of AI compute power and government strategy, respectively.
- United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore: Are also recognized among the top countries in AI research and development.
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