I really had a great laugh last week as so many people were immediately jumping on social media to complain extensively about the amount of "fake information" out there and how it is ruining everything. Now, let me say before I go too far, yes, there are people out there who, if you tell them it is snowing outside and you take them out to walk in the snow naked, they will still deny it. I am not going to even address these people.
What I do want to say, is that spotting A.I. is beyond obvious. Maybe it is my 35 years in education that has made this so apparent to me, but honestly, spotting fake stuff on the internet is not hard.
As someone who teaches research skills, one of the first things you always do is "verify your source." Who wrote it? What are their credentials? Yada, yada, yada... Look, I get it. Algorithms follow us everywhere. I look up a Disney Cruise I wish I was on, and suddenly I am flooded by advertising. Still, I know when I see a fake and I see something real. Spelling errors, weird comments and so forth.
Let me give you some examples. I have been flooded by these "stupid" posts on social media. One is about a neighbor who was upset with this individual for who knows what. Needless to say, the neighbor supposedly took out revenge and damaged their car. Now, here is the funny part. On one post it is eggs. On another it is water supposedly showing up during a freeze. There was another one but I can't remember right now as I wait for my coffee to finish brewing. But here is how it is fake. SAME CAR. SAME HOUSE. SAME POST. DIFFERENT DAMAGE.
Use a brain here people...
A second popped up about our ex-head coach for the Seahawks. I saw one post, and then a stack after it saying he had already been signed as a head coach somewhere. People were just reposting the same false information.
What are we missing here? Brain cells. Thinking.
This is not new. People have followed gossip for as long as people have lived in communities. People will make decisions, repost information and so forth, without verifying the information. Personally, I am even conscious if it is a post from a trusted source that has now become a secondary source. Was this real? Was this fake?
Take the time to look.
Even as submissions come into my email, I can see who used ChatGPT to write their query letter. That WILL BE an automatic rejection. In all honesty, if you have to rely on someone else to do your work, what will be the quality of your writing. You are openly admitting to the world you do not know what you are doing.
The reality is, the only reason social media and A.I. is a problem is that people are not using their brains. When I listen to anyone stand up and say they have accurate information, I VERIFY IT.
Maybe we all need to do this.
Coffee is ready and I am now ready to start my day
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