Author: edutton96

False and Inaccurate Information on the Web

Vulnerability is a key reason why web users accept false and inaccurate information. Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie write on the future of this web problem in the article The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online. The authors bring forward the fact, based on a 2016 study, that people find and read news articles that more often reassure them on their own views. When a user is seeking information that specifically aligns with what they believe they become vulnerable to believing all the news that they read. The information that they trust is true then gets passed along to other people and it creates a social condition or norm that everyone conforms to. This becomes a confusing out of control spiral of information that news outlets are no longer in control of, but rather peers are.

Impact of AI on Misinformation and Disinformation on the Web

AI takes existing information, listens to your desired task, and generates possible solutions. However, those solutions are not always accurate, rather they are only similar to information it is programmed to know. Using this tool often exaggerates a user’s trust in information on the web. AI is usually not factually correct but is programmed to throw words and phrases together that make some sense. People are gullible to the answers that AI provides them and continue the spread of false information. It becomes impossible to tell if information on the web originated from human intelligence or made-up artificial intelligence.

Interaction with Microsoft’s Copilot

I chose the title that I did because it is the best representation of the information I provided in the blog. My focus is on how people are affected by false and misleading information on the web, and I feel that the title clearly portrays that. I wanted the negative impact of AI to be clearly represented in the title as well. I feel like the title could fall on the News Journalism part of the spectrum of truth. I gathered information from the source and shared my perspective of it on this blog: I believe this to be impartial coverage of all of the information the source provided.

Sent by you: Can you provide me with engaging blog title about false and inaccurate information on the web and the impact of Artificial Intelligence?

Copilot: Sure! Here are a few engaging blog title ideas for you:

1. "Navigating the Web of Deception: How AI is Tackling Online Misinformation"
2. "Truth vs. Tech: The Role of AI in Combating False Information Online"
3. "From Fake News to Fact-Checkers: AI's Battle Against Digital Deception"
4. "The AI Revolution: Fighting Inaccuracies and Misinformation on the Internet"
5. "Beyond the Headlines: How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping the Future of Online Truth"

Do any of these resonate with you?

Sent by you: Not quite what I'm looking for. Do you have any other ideas?

Copilot: Absolutely, let's try some more:

1. "AI vs. Misinformation: The Digital Age's Ultimate Showdown"
2. "Unmasking the Web: How AI is Exposing Online Falsehoods"
3. "The Truth Guardians: AI's Role in the Fight Against Internet Lies"
4. "Decoding Deception: AI's Impact on Online Information Accuracy"
5. "AI and the Quest for Truth: Battling Misinformation in the Digital Era"

How do these sound? Feel free to let me know if you have a specific angle or tone in mind!

Sent by you: Can you give me a title that is less about AI and more about web users being vulnerable and gullible to inaccurate information on the web?
SCopilot: Sure thing! Here are some titles that focus more on the vulnerability of web users to inaccurate information:

1. “Caught in the Web: How Gullible Are We to Online Misinformation?”
2. “The Digital Trap: Why We Fall for False Information Online”
3. “Gullibility in the Age of Information: Navigating the Online Misinformation Maze”
4. “Deceived by the Screen: The Vulnerability of Web Users to Inaccurate Information”
5. “Trust Issues: How Easily We Believe Falsehoods on the Internet”

Do any of these hit the mark? Let me know if you need more options or a different angle!

Sent by you: I like the third one, can you add anything to it?

I’m glad you liked it! How about this enhanced version:
“Gullibility in the Age of Information: Navigating the Online Misinformation Maze and Protecting Yourself from Digital Deception”
Does this capture what you’re looking for? Feel free to let me know if you’d like any further tweaks!

Sent by you: Can you add a little bit about AI in it?

Absolutely! Here’s an updated version:
“Gullibility in the Age of Information: Navigating the Online Misinformation Maze and How AI Can Help Protect You from Digital Deception”
Does this work for you? Let me know if you’d like any more adjustments!

Sent by you: Could you make it shorter and include how AI provides negative results to users?

Sure! How about this:
“Gullibility in the Digital Age: Navigating Misinformation and the Dark Side of AI”
Does this fit what you’re looking for?

Sent by you: Can you shorten the title: "Deceived by the screen: navigating misinformation on the web and the dark side of AI"

Copilot: How about this:

"Deceived by the Screen: Misinformation and AI's Dark Side"

Does this work for you?

Sent by you: Can you include that the misinformation is coming from the web? 

Copilot: Of course! How about this:

"Deceived by the Screen: Web Misinformation and AI's Dark Side"

Does this capture what you're looking for?


Sent by you: Perfect! Thank you!

The internet is open and accessible for a majority of the world’s population. However, openness and accessibility are a spectrum. Information on the web is not one hundred percent open or accessible to all persons.

Openness

Presenting information on the web is powerful. This sense of openness allows viewers to actively read, watch and use the information as well as change it to benefit the publisher or themselves.

Why Openness?

Brad Frost speaks about how the web was built on open standards and is meant for everyone in his TEDx Talk Creative exhaust, the power of being open by default. He states, “It’s not about what you do or your published finished product it’s about what you enable other people to do.” Publishing information is just as beneficial for the people viewing it than the publishers themselves. Viewers can gather ideas to benefit their work and collaborate with the author to showcase the very best product. The publisher can receive modifications to their work and advice from a diverse audience. This forces the author to think outside the box when making decisions on what to share to the world.

How Openness?

Some people aren’t comfortable sharing an unfinished product because they don’t want criticism or harsh feedback. However, this is all necessary to present a successful product. Openness can be accomplished by designing within a software that allows viewers to collaborate with the author and come up with solutions to problems that come up along the way. Ideas can be tossed around, putting together the most beneficial information for the people reading or watching. For example, a publisher can post an accurate how-to video after they’ve collected information from other sources. This allows them to present the most efficient way of completing the action in the video.

Accessibility

The goal of publishing something on the internet is for people to access and benefit from it. The more people that engage with the work, the better it succeeds. Designing something in an accessible way means it can reach a much larger audience in a variety of ways.

Why Accessibility?

Equality is an important concept to think about when determining who accesses web designs. According to Ditte Hvas Mortensen and Frank Spillers from the article 3 Reasons Why Accessible Design is Good for All, there are legal, moral, and business reasons for designing for accessibility. In most instances laws require publishers to cast designs that are fully accessible, or they are at risk for lawsuits. The reason of morality references creating something that everyone, no matter their abilities, has equal access to. Lastly, broadcasting information on the web, in the most user-friendly way, helps designers expand their user base. Often, doing this for the benefit of disabled persons also has a positive effect on able people in completely different ways than intended; this is defined as the curb-cut effect. There are several more pros than cons to publishing accessible designs with the pro, “It’s just the right thing to do,” at the top of the list.

How Accessibility?

The specific organization of content on a website and the inclusion of written words from a video or presentation are examples of making content more accessible. The tool screenreader can not only help impaired people read screens but can also aid in navigating a website with ease (curb-cut effect). If the publisher did not include alternative text with an image on an article, then a visually impaired person would not be able to consume the information in the way that everyone else can. Including written text with a video helps the hearing impaired but can also benefit persons that have a hard time focusing. Using headers throughout a website allows the reader to efficiently find information but also allows listeners that are using screenreader to acknowledge that a different topic is being presented. With these extra steps information can reach and benefit all people in different ways.