Mis/Disinformation!

I've been following discussions about the increasing number of AI generated faces, voices, ads, etc.  As the election season picks up speed we will be seeing more and more of these.  So the question is how can we tell what is real and what is fake?

The answer, regretfully, is for the most part we can't.  The experts talk about different possibilities for protecting ourselves from being fooled or manipulated, but the sorry fact is that we're mostly helpless.  What can we trust?  What can't we trust?  Don't know for sure.

What we do know for sure is that this phenomenon is going to be more prevalent and the skill to hide the true source of what is being put in front of us is going to improve.  I'd like to say this will happen before our ability to spot what is AI generated improves, but there is no sign that we can get ahead of the process.  Bad news!

Related item: I found the difference between misinformation and disinformation.  Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information that is spread unintentionally.  Disinformation is also false or inaccurate information but it is spread deliberately with the intention to deceive, manipulate or influence people.

Thoughts For Today!

I'm noticing that every day in the local paper several pages are filled with stories of local tragedies:

A hit and run death in downtown San Francisco

A murder-suicide in Hayward

A gang shooting in Oakland

An old lady beaten up in El Cerrito

A string of drug store robberies

And so on . . .

Am I just imagining that it used to be more like:

Successful Girl Scout cookie sale

Local boy gets scholarship to Harvard

Nuptials over the weekend

Missing dog found in Golden Gate Park

Yes, I'm just imagining stuff.  Do you find it tough to be optimistic?