Exploring the Potential of Generative AI as a Modern Conduit for False Information Dissemination
Artificial Intelligence (AI) now plays a role in various aspects of our lives. Specifically, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and others have grown significantly. This means that there will be an abundance of AI-generated content in the future.However, generative AI also introduces the risk of AI-generated disinformation. Its features make it easier for opportunistic individuals to spread false information. So, let’s explore how generative AI is being utilized for disinformation.
Potential Risks of Generative AI to Spread Disinformation
Generative AI poses many threats to people, like taking away jobs, more surveillance, and cyberattacks. And thesecurity problems with AI will get even worse . But there’s another worry: people can use it to spread lies. Deceptive individuals can use generative AI to share fake news through visual, auditory, or textual content.
False news can be categorized into three types:
Misinformation : Unintended incorrect or false information.
Disinformation : Deliberate use of manipulative or deceptive information.
Malinformation : Misleading news or an exaggerated version of the truth.
Fake news spreaders can generate content in large quantities, making it easier to disseminate among the masses through social media. Targeted disinformation can be employed to influence political campaigns, potentially impacting elections. Additionally, using AI text and image generation tools raises concerns regarding copyright laws, as reported bythe Congressional Research Service : determining ownership of content generated by these tools becomes challenging.
How will the law address the propagation of fake news through generative AI? Who will be held responsible for spreading false information—the users, developers, or the tools themselves?
4 Ways Generative AI Can Be Used to Spread Disinformation
To stay safe online, everyone needs to understand the risks of generative AI in spreading disinformation, as it comes in many different forms. Here are a few ways it can be used to manipulate people.
1. Generating Fake Content Online
Creating fake content using generative AI is a common strategy employed by those who spread false news. They use popular generative AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, Bard, Midjourney, and others to produce various types of content. For example,ChatGPT can help content creators in many ways . But it can also generate social media posts or news articles that may deceive people.
To prove this, I prompted ChatGPT to write a made-up article about the arrest of US President Joe Biden on corruption charges. We also requested it to include statements from relevant authorities to make it seem more believable.
Here’s the fictitious article that ChatGPT came up with:
Title: Explore Our Curated Selection: The 5 Best Generators for Creating Prompts with Any AI Assistant or Bot