new episode thursday decoder A deep dive into big topics in the news. This week we continue our mini-series on one of his biggest topics: Generative AI.
Last week, we looked at the wave of copyright lawsuits that could ultimately bring the entire industry to a standstill. These are essentially coin flips, and as these lawsuits work their way through the legal system, the outcome is a long way off. The bigger problem at the moment is that AI systems are very good at creating fake images and sounds that are sufficiently believable. Videos may also be created soon using tools such as OpenAI’s new Sora.
And of course, it’s another presidential election year here in the United States. So today, Verge Policy Editor Addie Robertson joins the show to discuss how AI is increasing misinformation and lies in the most controversial election of our lifetimes, and what we can do about it. We will discuss whether
Discussions about media manipulation on social platforms really come and go with each election cycle. The 2016 election was marked by a Russian disinformation campaign on Facebook. The 2020 campaign proposed a cleanup over Hunter Biden’s laptop issue on Twitter, and then major platforms ultimately banned Donald Trump after the January 6 attack.
That burst of attention receded and there was little to nothing to show for it. And in the case of Twitter, Elon Musk completely retreated from any moderation when he changed the platform to what is now X. And X is where the fake pornographic images were posted. Taylor Swift is the most widely distributed and a preview of the problems facing every major platform.
It seems like the conversation about misinformation in 2024 may be more nuanced than in the past. But like other thorny issues surrounding online speech, there is a First Amendment to contend with. We also review existing policies on how best to combat the creation and dissemination of non-consensual pornography, and what lines exist between protected comments and malicious misinformation. and discussions about platform moderation.
None of this is easy. But these issues persist, and it remains to be seen how AI companies, social media platforms, and policymakers plan to address them, and what we as individuals will do as the election cycle gets into full swing. It is important to carefully consider whether you should take note of this.
