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AI and Fake News: The Authenticity Algorithm

This 45-minute lecture in English explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we see the world. We will examine how AI powers social media algorithms, filter bubbles, and recommendation engines that quietly shape our beliefs and opinions. We will also discuss the rise of fake news, the role of confirmation bias, and why it is getting harder to tell what is real and authentic in the post-truth era. Finally, the lecture will ask whether AI can help us fight misinformation or whether it is part of the problem.

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上智大学文学部英文学科 OPEN CAMPUS DEMONSTRATION: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Fake News: THE AUTHENTICITY ALGORITHM 02/08/25 11:30-12:15 6-205 Dr Richard Pinner rpinner@sophia.ac.jp @uniliterate
Raise your hands - How many of you have used AI
But what do we mean by AI? A vast collection of different technologies, many of which are so integrated into our lives we don't even see them. Most of what we call 'AI' today is, at its heart, a linguistic prediction engine.
Matching the Types of ‘AI’ Large Language Model (LLM) N-gram models Natural Language Processing (NLP) 1. ChatGPT / Gemini / DeepSeek etc 2. Smartphone Predictive Text ( 予測変換 ) 3. Google Search / Spell Check
Comparing AI Types Large Language Models LLMs process massive data sets to generate human-like text and understand context, enabling advanced conversations. N-Grams Predictive Models N-Grams use sequences of words to predict the next word but often lack deeper language comprehension. Natural Language Processing NLP is the wider field that allows computers to interpret, analyse, and respond to human language in multiple forms.
Basic Google Search is AI powered
Filter Bubbles
This means that a large amount of our new information comes to us FILTERED through AI Q: What is a FILTER BUBBLE? (Cf Echo Chamber)
Eli Pariser
Confirmation Bias
Instead of worrying about a "Filter Bubble," we should talk specifically about "corporate media consolidation," "algorithmic secrecy," or "the dominance of a narrow political spectrum in mainstream news."
Fake News?
•So, are FILTER BUBBLES themselves FAKE NEWS? •What is Fake News? •Whose name is most strongly associated with Fake News?
Poll _____% of people across 31 countries think politicians generally are trustworthy. _____% of people think journalists are trustworthy. _____% of people can spot the difference between AI and real videos.
What is Fake News?
Matching Misinformati on Disinformatio n Malinformati on
Matching A. Accidentally spread B. Deliberately spread C. Spread to cause harm 1. Misinformation 2. Disinformation 3. Malinformation
Discuss Brief summary of: • Misinformation = false info shared without intent to harm • Disinformation = false info shared with intent to deceive/harm • Malinformation = true info shared with intent to harm
Example 1: Your grandma shares fake vaccine tip MISINFORMATION
Example 2: A politician refutes historical facts DISINFORMATION
The quote “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots” is widely misattributed to Albert Einstein but is, in fact, entirely fabricated. No evidence exists in his writings, letters, or interviews. This invented quote taps into contemporary fears about screen addiction and declining social skills, and gains credibility by invoking Einstein’s authority as a scientist and moral thinker. However, using Einstein’s name to lend weight to modern tech anxieties is a form of malinformation—it may seem harmless, but it distorts his historical character and worldview. Einstein was not opposed to technology or communication; in fact, he wrote optimistically about scientific progress and human potential. The quote’s popularity also reflects a trend in digital culture to use famous names as rhetorical weapons—what one could call celebrity epistemology, where quotes “feel true” because we want them to be. As with the Wilde and Mandela examples, this shows the importance of critical quote-checking and the hidden ideologies embedded in misattributed wisdom.
Fake news and AI • Artificial intelligence has become a source of misinformation with lightning speed • Google and Duke University Joint Research Initiative, • CBC News May 28th 2024
Poll Correct Answers 14% of people across 31 countries think politicians generally are trustworthy. 25% of people think journalists are trustworthy. 40% of people can spot the difference between AI and real videos. (though down to 4% if not primed)
Bot or Not? Lancaster University Forensic Linguist Clair Hardacre’s research.
Which text is written by a human? Advancements in AI text generation have made it highly convincing, often indistinguishable from human writing. As AI tools become more prevalent and sophisticated, they can translate and communicate seamlessly across languages. This reduces the necessity for learning English, as AI bridges linguistic gaps, making global communication more accessible and efficient. Despite advancements in AI text generation, learning English remains crucial. AI may facilitate translation, but it cannot fully capture cultural nuances and context. Proficiency in English empowers individuals with direct access to a vast array of knowledge and global opportunities, fostering deeper, more authentic connections and understanding beyond AI's capabilities.
What is this? Is it Real?
Ray Kurzweil “Every form of human knowledge and artistic expression […] can be expressed as digital information. Our brains also operate digitally, through discrete firings of our neurons.” (2005)
Chandler, D. L. (2023). Could the Universe be a giant quantum computer?. Nature, 620(7976), 943-945. Fredkin took things even further, concluding that the whole Universe could actually be seen as a kind of computer. In his view, it was a ‘cellular automaton’: a collection of computational bits, or cells, that can flip states according to a defined set of rules determined by the states of the cells around them. Over time, these simple rules can give rise to all the complexities of the cosmos — even life.
Not all bad… But are there any positive practical uses of AI being able to accurately simulate human speech? Can you think of any examples?
ChatGPT as Therapist
AI Can Improve your writing? • Agree or Disagree
What year was the first book written by a computer? •1984 •1994 •2004 •2014
AI SLOP?
Question 1 Do you still need to be able to read and write in English? Why/Why not?
It’s not enough to just know English anymore!!
By some estimates, as much as 98% of the world’s scientific research is published in English, while only around 18% of the world’s population speaks it. (Toledo, 2024)
How much can you believe it?
How Fake News Spreads • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSKGa_7XJkg
Look at the following stories. Can you spot which one is false? Is one of them obviously a joke?
Man Arrested for Fake Tweet • The suspect Kazuki Sato, a company employee and resident of Kanagawa Prefecture, was arrested for fraudulent obstruction of business, police said. • About 30 minutes after the quake, Sato tweeted that a lion was on the loose in his neighborhood. He was quoted by police as saying he posted the tweet for kicks and just wanted to shock people. His message was retweeted more than 20,000 times, police said.
• https://youtu.be/cQ54GDm1eL0?si=DDHw-L_cupT4zlaK
The Problem People don’t care about the truth, unless it’s the ‘truth’ they want to be true. Confirmation Bias CF. Hegelian notion of Truth as a Process.
Post-Truth
What is Post-Truth? Post-truth refers to a situation in contemporary politics where facts have lost their significance in public discourse. It is characterized by the prioritization of personal beliefs over factual accuracy. Post-truth politics disregards the importance of truth and instead focuses on appealing to emotions for political gain. AI generated definition based on: International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (Second Edition), 2020
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Documented Liar
That’s not really Harrison Ford
How can you spot if a text is written by a human? Forensic Linguistics (which is reliant on computer analysis of a corpus, very similar to how many LLM and N- Grams work)
Using AI to enhance the learning process rather than bypassing it.
Closing thoughts… • AI is rapidly evolving and becoming part of everyday life. • Our information environment is increasingly shaped by algorithms. • Truth and authenticity are harder to define in the digital age. • Education must adapt—but language learning still matters. • Critical thinking is key to navigating misinformation and bias. • Human connection supports deeper, more meaningful language learning. • In the age of AI, understanding how and why we learn is more important than ever
Understanding and verifying authenticity will be a crucial skill more than ever
Questions?
Thanks for your attention Download the slides and continue the conversation • www.sophia.ac.jp • www.uniliterate.com • rpinner@sophia.ac.jp