Digital Literacy and AI: How to Protect Yourself From Misinformation

Make the most of what the information age has to offer.

By Contributor Content | November 2, 2024 | 5:07pm

Photo: Unsplash Tech AI

Digital Literacy and AI: How to Protect Yourself From Misinformation

While the rise of the internet has created an age of information, this has also opened the gates for more misinformation to be spread than ever before. Within minutes, any user online can post a claim to social media and watch their rumors take off. Now, as technology grows more sophisticated, these rumor and disinformation machines don’t even require humans to be behind the keyboards. In an era when the truth is under constant attack, those online should apply digital literacy skills and AI Detector tools to guard themselves against misinformation.

Emerging AI models can create and spread misinformation at exceptionally high speeds. Sometimes, misinformation is spread by mistake, as generative AI can sometimes respond to queries with inaccurate information or “hallucinations.” Other times, malicious actors take advantage of AI to deceive and propagate false information. As misinformation continues to spread across online spaces, it pays to understand how to spot false or fabricated claims.

AI and the Misinformation Machine

AI is a powerful new development in technology that has the potential to improve lives. With advanced machine learning capabilities, AI models can analyze large sums of data, find and retrieve information, perform predictive analytics, and help large organizations optimize their operations. As this exciting new technology continues to develop, AI has become more integrated into daily life. Users can access AI assistants on their smartphones with a swipe of their screens. Many search engines are now powered by AI models.

However, as this technology grows more prevalent, malicious actors have also found methods to abuse it. New and growing AI tools offer the ability to quickly generate compelling and convincing text and images. Even though this content wasn’t crafted by humans, it can trick many online users into believing that an individual is behind them and not a machine. Because AI systems can generate content so quickly, they provide a faster and more efficient method for spreading misinformation online.

The Issue of AI Hallucinations

While malicious actors have begun to utilize AI to spread misinformation, not all inaccuracies propagated by AI are by intent. AI may offer sophisticated tools for analyzing and delivering information, but like most developing technologies, they do not always operate with 100% accuracy. AI hallucinations occur when a generative AI program responds to a user’s query with inaccurate information. As experts continue to hone their AI models, these hallucinations remain an issue that users should be aware of.

Those relying on AI for research or professional purposes may find that a hallucination can be detrimental to their work. Reports on one case in which a New York attorney implemented AI into his legal research and inadvertently presented citations and quotes from nonexistent sources. While the AI he used was able to generate legal content, it failed to integrate information from authentic sources and “hallucinated” information instead.

With its advanced analytical capabilities, AI can still serve as an aid for research. However, users should take measures to verify that the information retrieved by an AI tool is accurate and comes from a reliable source.

A Call for Better Digital Literacy

To combat the rise of online misinformation, educators advocate for better digital literacy programs. Digital literacy is defined as the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, using both cognitive and technical skills.

Literacy programs and education once only focused on reading and writing skills. However, as technology has shaped the way people communicate and interact, these basic skills need to be integrated and expanded into digital platforms. Information online contains more interactive elements, such as graphics, share buttons, and comment sections. Digital literacy requires learning how to interact with the content that is posted online. It also involves learning how to use search engines to find and retrieve accurate information successfully.

As more misinformation propagates online, digital literacy has grown more important than ever. With a better understanding of today’s digital technology and how content is created, users can better differentiate between accurate sources and false or misleading ones. Increased awareness of the misuse of AI and AI hallucinations allows users to be more critical of the content they find online.

AI Detectors for Better Awareness

Even with awareness and understanding of how AI can be used to spread misinformation, identifying AI-derived content can still be difficult. For those wanting to guard themselves against misinformation or deception, AI detection can serve as a useful tool.

AI detectors work by analyzing text or other forms of content to determine whether it was generated by a human or AI. Fighting fire with fire, these systems employ the same machine learning technology that powers AI models. Working on large datasets of both human-written and AI-generated content, AI detectors identify patterns or features associated with AI. These identifiers can include repetitive or commonly re-used phrases, lack of individualistic style or nuance, and consistency in structure.

Certain AI detection tools can be highly accurate, with a success rate of distinguishing between AI-generated content and human-written text at over 95%. With these powerful tools at hand, users can be more aware of whether the content they are viewing has been created by an AI and apply their critical thinking and digital literacy skills accordingly.

Tools and Knowledge for a Digital World

As the world grows more digital, digital literacy has become a necessary skill. The fast-paced and connected nature of the internet has given rise to the spread of misinformation and misleading content. Developing AI technologies has the potential to improve lives and deliver better data and information. However, these AI models can still propagate false information through both purposeful misinformation campaigns and accidental hallucinations.

It will take better awareness and digital literacy skills to combat these attacks on the truth. AI detector tools can further help users guard themselves against AI-derived content that is not immediately obvious. By being educated and aware of where content comes from, today’s users can make the most of what the information age has to offer.

The Jezebel editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.