Josh Anderson

Artificial Intelligence. Considered by some to be the newest big invention, Gen Z’s internet and the modern-day penicillin. But I’d prefer to use the phrasing of the world’s modern-day gunpowder or the atom bomb. A tool that has fair intentions in mind, but when abused, will become a massive problem in society.

The problem is not AI itself. Artificial Intelligence is a great invention and it doesn’t have a ceiling for use. It helped a family cure their son of cancer and it has helped more students than they will admit. It’s also being used for more harmful purposes, such as creating content that spreads lies and puts people out of their jobs. When used with ill intent, it harms the public and directly fuels the same anger that traditional graphic propaganda does.

I bet that when your mom or dad or somebody shows you a photo from their Facebook feed that you can immediately tell is AI-generated, you point it out to them and they rebuke your argument. Then, a feeling deep in your gut that screams, “How are you THIS gullible?” It happens to me often with my parents and it’s an unfortunate part of navigating media literacy in an ever-changing landscape.

The Trump administration has notably used it during the first year of his second term. Commonly generating photos with the goal of both rage-baiting and “Owning the Libs.” For those purposes, it has had great success. But in my opinion, I’d rather have my Artificial Intelligence machines being used to figure out how to fix issues such as the upcoming global water crisis and I’d like the President to focus on issues that affect my everyday life, such as the climate crisis and the gas prices that are getting scarily close to four dollars per gallon.

Might just be a hunch but there are bigger issues than #owningthelibs, that we can direct AI to solve.

This problem is nothing new. Misinformation has plagued the internet since its start. Right now, it’s the mass media companies who have shifted towards a model designed to keep their viewers watching, which means sparking outrage at what the other side is doing.

That being said, people with better media literacy and knowledge of when to listen in have proven to live happier lives. I think that learning the same type of thing with AI-generated content will lead to a better understanding of how it works and it will get people focused on using the powerful technology we possess for more important issues.