Intelligent Machines (Audio) IM 853: All The Clocks Were Wrong - The Rise and Fall of Fact-Checking
56 snips
Jan 15, 2026 
Journalist and disinformation expert Craig Silverman discusses the alarming rise of AI-generated fake news and its impact on society. He explores how AI makes scams cheaper and harder to detect, while Big Tech profits from the chaos. Silverman sheds light on the complexities of fact-checking, the challenges of verifying information in a digital age, and the psychological barriers that make changing beliefs difficult. He also highlights the importance of awareness and vigilance to combat manipulation in a world where misinformation is rampant.
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AI Makes Disinformation Cheap And Iterative
- AI has reduced generation costs to near zero, making convincing disinformation trivial to produce.
- That turns influence into a rapid, iterative arms race between creators and defenders.
Journalist Fooled By AI ID And Documents
- Casey Newton was fooled by AI-generated ID and documents claiming delivery-app wrongdoing, later traced to Gemini metadata.
- The apparent authenticity showed how easy it is to weaponize believable fakes against journalists.
Look For Model-Specific Watermarks
- Check for embedded model watermarks or SynthID when you suspect an image came from Gemini.
- Don't rely solely on generic AI-detection tools because they vary by model.
