Tag: Information evaluation

Escape AI-generated slop and social media outrage; see the real world. Know the benefits of nature, humility, and kindness for you and others

Intersections

In a world increasingly filled with AI-generated slop of all kinds and a social media landscape dominated by an outrage machine that is engineered to addict people and steal their attention and privacy, it is important to know there is an alternative. And that alternative does not mean burying your nose in other media 24 hours a day. The alternative is simple … but can…

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Should information be shared freely? Should information be controlled? What should it cost?

Intersections

Should information be shared freely? That is, should content (text, images, videos, etc.) be shared without heavy external control (usually aimed at making as much money or gaining as much power as possible)? And should the information be able to be accessed and shared at no additional cost? Is transparency and free access a part of the common good? Or, at the other end of…

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The perils of AI-generated deepfake videos

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“… AI tools to generate and edit content are getting more advanced, easier to operate, and cheaper to run—all reasons why the US government is increasingly paying to use them. We were well warned of this, but we responded by preparing for a world in which the main danger was confusion. What we’re entering instead is a world in which influence survives exposure, doubt is…

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A pile of print books

Deep reading can boost your critical thinking and help you resist misinformation – here’s how to build the skill

Intersections

JT Torres, Washington and Lee University and Jeff Saerys-Foy, Quinnipiac University (from The Conversation) The average American checks their phone over 140 times a day, clocking an average of 4.5 hours of daily use, with 57% of people admitting they’re “addicted” to their phone. Tech companies, influencers and other content creators compete for all that attention, which has incentivized the rise of misinformation. Considering this…

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More than half of new articles on the internet are being written by AI – is human writing headed for extinction?

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Francesco Agnellini, Binghamton University, State University of New York (from The Conversation) The line between human and machine authorship is blurring, particularly as it’s become increasingly difficult to tell whether something was written by a person or AI. Now, in what may seem like a tipping point, the digital marketing firm Graphite recently published a study showing that more than 50% of articles on the…

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You have the power to make your own decisions about issues important to your life–use it!

Intersections

It can seem–sometimes very visibly and brutally–that we are losing the ability to make and influence decisions about our own lives.  That no matter what we do and what we want, forces greater than us and our families and even our communities will steamroll us in order to impose someone else’s will–and that generally means greater power and greater wealth for a set of politicians…

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AI and humans interacting

AI, social media, the Internet and how we experience the world; what is real? what are the impacts?

Intersections

It is common these days to see people walking their dogs or walking along streets, in parks, staring at or speaking to their smart phones. Yes, they are physically out in the “real” world but, in reality, they are deeply immersed within the artificial world created by AI, social media, and, yes, the Internet. Background: In this hybrid existence, what is real? What actually exists?…

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Is ChatGPT making us stupid?

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Aaron French, Kennesaw State University (from The Conversation) Back in 2008, The Atlantic sparked controversy with a provocative cover story: Is Google Making Us Stupid? In that 4,000-word essay, later expanded into a book, author Nicholas Carr suggested the answer was yes, arguing that technology such as search engines were worsening Americans’ ability to think deeply and retain knowledge. At the core of Carr’s concern…

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Empty classroom

AI and education: background, impacts, tools, and psychology

Intersections

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impacts on education (K-12 and higher ed) … Follow the developing story at — Artificial Intelligence and Education Recent additions: *AI and the death of student writing: The move away from true hands-on scholarship feels tragic (The Chronicle of Higher Education; requires subscription) *The Handwriting Revolution: Five semesters after ChatGPT changed education forever, some professors are taking their classes back…

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Information independence!

Intersections

We live in a world awash with misinformation and disinformation. “Misinformation is false or inaccurate information—getting the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead—intentionally misstating the facts.” Disinformation in particular, often leveraged through X, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, and created by political, corporate, criminal, and other bad actors besieges us on a daily basis. It’s a never…

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