AI and Social Media

[statsman 5475]

I read the WSJ. Online, many articles have comments sections. The articles on Ukraine and related events are inundated with comments from Russians, feigning to be Americans or westerners, pushing the Putin line. Some are better than others. (I use this as an example, not to pillory the WSJ, but because I’m not on Dacebook yet and that’s my best example). 
 
People, to varying degrees, like to conform. They can change their opinion about politics, sports, arts and even mores, if they are convinced their side/tribe is changing its opinion. This has been wired into us by tens of thousands of years of evolution and socialization. 
 
In a short time, AI will present as hordes of new posters, programmed to swarm discussions, pushing one view. It will seem realistic, and it will be effective. 
 
More than ever, we need to teach and develop critical reasoning, understanding what makes an argument strong, other than “my side believes this” or “most people believe that”. I think it’s worth educating ourselves on logical fallacies, and upping our games. 

Edited February 3 by statsman

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13587]

Best Quality News!

 

[Guest]

When reading the comments on any given story/ article, and maybe it is an effect of participating on multiple boards like this one,; but I hardly find the truth triangulated in the midst of crazy ass posts/ opinions of a group generally comprised of about 5% legit posters with understanding/ experience with the topic.  Otherwise, it's mostly fuckers touting their position on any given topic.  Yea, team!!!

Seems humorous to just write it off as a threat from AI.  I say welcome to the fucking party of disinformation and control of the message!!!

 

[Samson's Wig 3194]

I think the pro-Russian comments are coming from a certain nutbag politically affiliated group, not AI bots.   The Internet, like any open forum dating back to at least the Roman one,  has always been a place for bullshit to reign supreme an nonsense to spread like wildfire.  No one should ever take it seriously because the vast majority of humans are stupid as fuck, and even the somewhat intelligent ones will seize any opportunity to talk out of their asses about something they don't know anything about.

[statsman 5475]

The Russian comments in the WSJ were offered as an example of how certain factions actively try to influence opinion, which matters in a Democratic society. Those comments are generated by people worming for outfits like Internet Reseach Agency, in St. Petersburg, a division of Wagner. 
 
When AI comes into play, in a few years, the comments will be more indistinguishable from real people, in our community. They will get past the bot-guards, and they will be in huge numbers. They will be able to drown out real people, unless social media uses some good MFA. 

[Samson's Wig 3194]

Just now, statsman said:

The Russian comments in the WSJ were offered as an example of how certain factions actively try to influence opinion, which matters in a Democratic society. Those comments are generated by people worming for outfits like Internet Reseach Agency, in St. Petersburg, a division of Wagner. 
 
When AI comes into play, in a few years, the comments will be more indistinguishable from real people, in our community. They will get past the bot-guards, and they will be in huge numbers. They will be able to drown out real people, unless social media uses some good MFA. 

What I'm proposing, is maybe that's not such a bad thing.

[Your Mom 4846]

1 hour ago, statsman said:

More than ever, we need to teach and develop critical reasoning, understanding what makes an argument strong, other than “my side believes this” or “most people believe that”.

Most of the worlds problems could be solved with that. 

[Sensitive Ponytail Man 9]

The last line of defense may be stand up comics, or other forms of satirical comedy.  Or, in all seriousness, just the arts in general.  Allowing the arts to be defunded, monopolized, politicized, or marginalized may indicate that the end is near.  Organic, artistic expression keeps people awake.

[statsman 5475]

Another strategy is to have more in person human relationships 

[Homercles 10206]

In general I utilize comments on most websites as a source of comedy, AI or not.  Personally I can’t wait to see Fox News comments blaming Leftist Swift Fanatics for pressuring Biden into cutting solar funding on April 8th.  

Edited February 3 by Homercles

[elfenix 34331]

chrome is about to roll out an update with an AI writing assistant built in.  article comments, messageboard posts, tweets, product reviews, pretty much everything is about to be MOAR AI'd. 

 

https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/google-chrome-artificial-intelligence-ai-feature-help-me-write/

[Newdoc 3448]

4 hours ago, statsman said:

I think it’s worth educating ourselves on logical fallacies, and upping our games. 

One of the best classes I had on the 40 was Argumentation and Advocacy. The professor definitely had her political bias but she did a fantastic job at teaching us to wade through the bullshit from whatever side it originated.

[52-80 19229]

im not worried because its easy to tell real from fake. 
 

real human posts are substantive, well-reasoned, not colored by hysterics, not driven by ad-hominem, or swayed by tribalism.  just like what you see in the cloak room.