Robots are spreading fake news and it’s a huge problem
By Finn Cosgrove
“President Trump is a complete moron,” said President Barack Obama. Well now, we know that can’t be true.
Of course, he did not actually say this, but by using 14 million videos of Obama, people created a scenario using AI that showed Obama saying inflammatory remarks about Trump. Using videos of Obama — or essentially anyone for that matter—hackers can make him say anything, which is incredibly dangerous.
Fake news is the new buzzword that gets thrown around, but it is a very real issue that will only get worse if we don’t do something.
Fake news is fabricated media that alludes to or directly says one thing contradictory to fact.
This fabricated news is everywhere and sometimes it can be hard to tell if its fake or not so sources and reliable institutions have become even more important. In this time the fake news is a threat to democracy and the word of the year in 2017 according to Business Insider.
It can be near impossible to find fake news so trusted sources are very vital. Don’t think you can tell the difference between fake and real news? Which article is fake, “Lyft considering offering “Zen” mode for those who want a more peaceful ride,” or “Tourist frustrated as Eiffel Tower closes in peak season.”
The first one is, in fact, fake, there are much more extreme examples but even with a light-hearted example, it is hard to tell without first checking the source.
Using AI to create fake news is already happening with sites like Facebook and Twitter having miscommunication all over there sites.
AI can both create and spread fake news which is bad news. Facebook is already under pressure from giving away information and now they also must deal with the fake news epidemic.
Computers can make anyone say anything at any time. This technology uses neural networks to create incredibly realistic videos of anyone saying something they wouldn’t normally say.
Deep Fakes is one site that uses this technology to stimulate controversy. Take politicians or top business leaders, for example. Stock prices often move when a CEO or a Federal Reserve official says something important. When listening to someone you “can’t even be 100% sure unless you’re in the room,” with them (Patrick Watson from Business Insider).
AI is startling good at creating fake content and propaganda. This is done again using neural networks which is a system modeled after the human brain to collect lots of data to train AI systems.
This could eventually lead to the prediction of,” by 2022 people could be encountering more fake news than real information,” said Anjana Susarla.
This is a problem and people want to fight fire with fire. AI is creating fake news, but it can also be part of the answer. Artificial Intelligence can already fight and detect extremist content on YouTube. This algorithm filters out this type of content but it’s not perfect so still requires human interference. AI can be and is being trained to identify false information to stop the spread, but AI isn’t the only one creating fake news.
Humans spread it without even realizing it, or fact checking and it “isn’t always spread with malicious intent,” (Quartz 2). With this period of false information, everyone should check where it came from before spreading it.
Full Facts is another website trying to counteract fake news. It is developing an AI that media can check if something is real or not, aiming to stop false information from being published.
They plan to offer its technology to news sites so more accurate and more importantly not false information is displayed. A human will still need to be present because the system is not yet perfect, so it could misidentify real news.
The AI creating fabricated stories and videos are more advanced but soon with public awareness and newer technology the cat and mouse game can stop. No one knows which artificial intelligence will win in this battle, but it will determine what society we will become and if we thrive in a future of automation, and renaissance of communication.
“Society needs to work out how it functions when no digital information is trusted,” said Jack Clark of OpenAI.
This issue will still be a big deal and we don’t know what will happen in the future.
