A VIEW OF THE WEEK: What’s real? Ask AI… or not

There is a lot of “truth” being thrown around by politicians and businesspeople across the world. And if you are getting your news mostly on social media, chances are you’ve got it all wrong.

I was reminded of this during a conversation with some friends this week on the India-Pakistan conflict. In his excitement, one friend showed me a video of US President Donald Trump lambasting India and calling them an “embarrassment”.

“You obviously know that it is AI, right?” another friend whispered to me when the video was over. And while it was clear to me, it wasn’t to the person sharing it.

That is the danger of relying on TikTok, Instagram Reels, X, and Facebook for your news. The algorithms are designed to keep you online and interacting, and the easiest way to do that is to draw emotion.

The fight for your anger

The trouble starts when the authentic content that would usually draw a reaction dries up or doesn’t shock enough. That is when shady influencers will often sweep in and save the day, faking scenes or stories to draw that emotion.

Like Hollywood, they blur the lines between real and imaginary, but now telling the difference is not as easy as sitting in a cinema chair, turning on a channel, or hiring a DVD. What makes it more immersive, and also more potent, is that it infiltrates places where you would expect to find reality and truth, turning it all upside down.

But the algorithm’s thirst is never quenched, and so instead of showing organic emotional content, it leans into fake news or stories that replicate it. The tools used to create these are often AI software.

While this software can be helpful in many ways, from automating tasks to providing vital information when needed, it can also perpetuate falsehoods. It can share fake news and present it as if it is from a trustworthy and credible source. Tools that are made to entertain, like filters and video editing assistants, are instead used to manufacture stories and false news, and spin an agenda.

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South Africans caught in the storm

It was seen in the Pakistan-India story, in the “reports” about the new Pope Leo XIV, and in the “white genocide” that gave at least 49 South Africans an excuse to pack their bags for America this week.

The criteria to seek refuge, as outlined by the US government, are quite restrictive and vague.

“To be eligible for US resettlement consideration, individuals must meet all of the following criteria: Must be of South African nationality; of Afrikaner ethnicity or be a member of a racial minority in South Africa; and must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution”.

The peddling of falsehoods on social media, both to the larger world and within communities on services like WhatsApp, has created an echo-chamber so powerful that it has relabelled farm murders from a non-discriminatory crime to a targeted genocide. Repeat a lie enough, especially on social media, and it becomes a “truth”.

While you would think that the rational solution to this would be to encourage truth through those who can be held accountable—like mainstream media, legislature, and the judiciary—fake news and abuse of power have eroded trust in these organisations.

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What is real?

Instead, people turn to social media and AI to ask what is real.

It may seem illogical to ask, “Grok, is this true?” but it happens thousands, perhaps millions, of times a day. Independent thought, research, and critical thinking are replaced by asking the truth from the very tools that are used to manipulate it.

While AI assistants do pull from authoritative and credible sources right now, the concern is that they could soon be flooded with unfiltered, crowd-sourced opinions that swim freely online.

Who will be held accountable?

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) say they have no control over the content shared online, but have launched a code of conduct and signed their members up to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa to increase accountability.

Facebook and X also trumpet how they work with local authorities and fact-checkers to curb fake news and advocate for the report button.

But the overage peddler of misinformation will not be signed up to these associations, and by the time their content is eventually fact-checked, it will have done more harm than good.

These companies have grown too large to get away with token programmes and excuses. For the social good, they need to take a more active role in regulating content or allow an independent regulator total control to do so for them. Even if it hurts their bottom line

In the meantime, the confused will turn to AI and hope for the best. Who knows? It may even lead them on to a plane to America.

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