It must be true, I read it on….

In the good old days of the internet, and even as recent as six months ago, we used to say, with forked tongue, “I read it on the Internet; it must be true.” Ah, those were the days when we believed or wanted to believe that everything on the World Wide Web was an unimpeachable source of knowledge. But then, the era of AI dawned upon us, and everything changed. Now we can update that phrase, bring it into the new era of AI and say, “I read it on ChatGPT; it must be true.” Truly, how far we have come.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on this almost paradoxical situation. We went from believing everything on the internet to only believing what AI tells us. What happened to our critical thinking skills? Have we become so dependent on machines that we have forgotten how to discern truth from falsehood? It’s like we traded one set of blinders for another.

But there is a reason why we put so much trust in AI, particularly in ChatGPT. Unlike Google, which returns a list of articles, ChatGPT provides “one version of the truth.” It’s a convenient way to consume information, and it gives us a sense of security that we are getting the most accurate information available.

However, this convenience comes at a price. If ChatGPT gets it wrong, then that horrible “disinformation” will rear its head. It’s the old adage of “garbage in, garbage out.” If the information fed into ChatGPT is flawed or biased, then the output will be flawed and biased as well. And since we put so much trust in AI, the consequences of misinformation can be severe.

This is where science and psychology come into play. We know that humans are not always rational or objective in their thinking. We are prone to cognitive biases and fallacies that can lead us astray. And now, with AI, we have the potential to amplify these biases on a massive scale.

For example, if ChatGPT is trained on biased data, it will reflect those biases in its output. If we are not careful, AI can become a feedback loop that reinforces our biases rather than a tool for enlightenment.

So, what can we do? First, we need to recognize the limitations of AI. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s not infallible. We need to approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism and critical thinking.

Second, we must be more mindful of the information we feed into AI. Garbage in, garbage out, remember? We should try to ensure that the data we use to train AI is diverse and unbiased. This means being aware of our own biases and taking steps to mitigate them.

In conclusion, the almost paradox of our dependence on AI is a complex issue. On the one hand, it offers the promise of a more efficient and accurate way to consume information. On the other hand, it can reinforce our biases and lead us down the path of misinformation. As with any powerful tool, it’s up to us to use it wisely and with caution. Let’s remember our critical thinking skills and continue to question and challenge the information we receive, whether from the internet or AI.

The world of news and journalism has already undergone significant transformations in the digital age. But with the advent of AI and machine learning, we could be looking at a complete revolution in the way news is delivered and consumed.

Imagine a future where opinion pieces written by colourful and controversial figures are replaced by an AI that is more knowledgeable, witty, and sarcastic than any human journalist could ever hope to be. This AI would have access to petaflops of data, enabling it to deliver news and analysis that is more comprehensive and accurate than anything we have seen before.

But what would this mean for the nature of news itself? For one thing, we could see a shift away from sensationalism and towards a more measured and analytical approach. Instead of headlines designed to grab attention and generate clicks, we could see news stories that are more focused on delivering facts and analysis in an engaging and informative way, and wouldn’t that be nice?

Moreover, AI-driven news could be far more nuanced in its coverage, considering a wide range of perspectives and presenting a more holistic view of events. By analyzing data from a variety of sources, AI could provide a more objective and comprehensive understanding of the news. CNN, are you listening?

Of course, there are potential downsides to this future of AI-driven news. For one thing, we could see a decline in the human element of journalism, with fewer opportunities for writers to inject their personalities and perspectives into their work. This could be a loss for readers who enjoy the wit and humour of opinion pieces written by colourful characters.

Additionally, there are concerns about the potential for AI to perpetuate biases and reinforce existing power structures. If the AI is trained on biased data, it could inadvertently perpetuate and reinforce existing prejudices.

Despite these concerns, the potential benefits of AI-driven news are immense. We could see a new era of more accurate, comprehensive, and informative news than anything we have seen before. By leveraging the power of AI, we could create a news ecosystem that is more resilient and adaptive to the challenges of the modern world.

Hell, it must be true, I read about it on ChatGPT.

In the past, we used to proclaim with forked tongues, “I read it on the Internet; it must be true.” Those were the days when we either believed or wanted to believe that everything on the World Wide Web was an unimpeachable source of knowledge, and this was only six months ago! However, the age of AI has arrived and arrived it has as everything has changed. We can now update that statement and say, “I read it on ChatGPT; it must be true.” Truly, we have come a long way, or have we simply stepped onto a slippery slope?

It’s almost a paradox that we have gone from believing everything on the internet to only trusting what AI tells us. What happened to our critical thinking skills? Have we become so reliant on machines that we have forgotten how to discern truth from falsehood? It’s as if we have exchanged one set of blinders for another.

Despite this, there is a reason why we place so much faith in AI, particularly in ChatGPT. Unlike Google, which returns a list of articles offering perhaps varied opinions or truths, ChatGPT provides “one version of the truth.”, one answer, and we well-worded, well-researched, we hope, answer. It’s a convenient way to consume information, and it gives us a sense of security that we are obtaining the most accurate information available.

However, this convenience comes with a price. If ChatGPT gets it wrong, then that terrible “disinformation” will raise its ugly head, yet will someone be there to cleave it off? It’s the classic case of “garbage in, garbage out.” If the data fed into ChatGPT is flawed or biased, or the data is carefully curated, then the output will also be flawed and biased. And since we rely so much on AI, the consequences of misinformation can be severe.

This is where science and psychology come into play. We are aware that humans are not always rational or objective in their thinking. We are susceptible to cognitive biases and fallacies that can lead us astray. And now, with AI, we have the potential to amplify these biases on a massive scale.

For example, if ChatGPT is trained on biased data, it will reflect those biases in its output. If we are not careful, AI can become a feedback loop that reinforces our biases instead of a tool for enlightenment.

So, what can we do? First, we must recognize the limitations of AI. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s not infallible. We must approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism and critical thinking.

Second, we must be more mindful of the information we feed into AI. Garbage in, garbage out, remember? We should strive to ensure that the data we use to train AI is diverse and unbiased. This means being aware of our own biases and taking steps to mitigate them.

In conclusion, our dependence on AI is a complicated issue. On the one hand, it offers the promise of a more efficient and accurate way to consume information. On the other hand, it can reinforce our biases and lead us down the path of misinformation. As with any powerful tool, it’s up to us to use it wisely and with caution. Let’s remember our critical thinking skills and continue to question and challenge the information we receive, whether from the internet or AI.

The world of news and journalism has already undergone significant transformations in the digital age. But with the advent of AI and machine learning, we could be looking at a complete revolution in the way news is delivered and consumed.

Imagine a future where opinion pieces written by colorful and controversial figures are replaced by an AI that is more knowledgeable, witty, and sarcastic than any human journalist could ever hope to be. This AI would have access to petaflops of data, enabling it to deliver news and analysis that is more comprehensive and accurate than anything we have seen before.

But what would this mean for the nature of news itself? For one thing, we could see a shift away from sensationalism.