Uncanny Valley | WIRED The Chatbot Disinfo Inflaming the L.A. Protests
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Jun 13, 2025 Leah Feiger, Senior Politics Editor at Wired, dives into the chaos of misinformation during the Los Angeles protests against immigration policies. She unpacks how AI chatbots like Grok and ChatGPT are parroting false narratives, exacerbating public confusion. The discussion highlights the challenges of verifying information in a saturated digital landscape, stressing the need for heightened media literacy. Additionally, Leah critiques the economic dynamics of social media, questioning the value of virality and its impact on societal discourse.
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Misleading Scale of LA Protests
- The LA protests started small and were specific to ICE raids, but online descriptions exaggerated their scale.
- The situation escalated when the National Guard was called in, highlighting a complex federal versus state rights conflict.
Chatbots Reveal Demand for Truth
- People turning to AI chatbots show a growing desire for fact checking and media literacy.
- However, AI chatbots currently fail to provide accurate or reliable information in chaotic news moments.
Chatbots Misidentify Protest Images
- After a photo of National Guard troops in LA went viral, chatbots confidently misattributed it to Afghanistan.
- This happened even when a state governor shared the genuine image, fueling misinformation online.