Facebook constantly posts things that are highly questionable. One such photo appears above on the left, touting a moving concert from the combined forces of Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez. I routinely fact check a majority of these posts, whether purported new speeches from Pope Leo or bargain “never shave your legs again” ads.
Sadly, Google’s search engine has now added AI assist to its results. These usually show at the top of the results page and claim to present a thorough set of responses to the query you posed. Many people will probably find that easier than reading through countless other results. In fact when I did that the results were shown in the right hand picture. This response has since been replaced by another, more accurate one. This original answer has added the modifier “AI responses may include mistakes.” In fact, the concert never took place. There was neither candlelight nor an audience in tears. A closer look at the Facebook picture shows a crowd of people standing still in a straight formation.
Meanwhile Facebook filled with heartfelt messages to the fake post, seemingly verified by Google. Is it any wonder that so many have resigned themselves to the easy but highly dangerous conclusion that “I can’t trust anything?”
Saved By Words 
When we all start thinking that we can’t trust anything or anybody, we will be in an impoverished world indeed!
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We seem to be inching towards that. Truth is often replaced by “my truth.”
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I don’t believe much I see on Facebook and rarely even look at it any longer.
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I follow my town’s posting. Very useful information that they seem to post on that site. It’s hard to avoid the rest though I try.
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Everything I feared and predicted about AI is coming true, and accelerating in pace. It makes me glad to be old, and to know that I won’t live to see a world created by AI to placate and control humans.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes. Yet another thing that even Huxley and Orwell couldn’t have dreamt of.
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I only used AI once, the Meta AI on FB asking what it thinks of my writing. You can’t trust FB, so many false and fake ads.😍
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It is especially bad now that people can create false videos with fake sound.
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And those photos that seem so perfect but they were AI generated.😍
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I too fact check and I do not look at the AI results. It is terrible that we will stop trusting and so many will believe without question.
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I think it encourages laziness.
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I steer clear of AI
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It is increasingly hard to avoid on line.
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You can’t trust what you read on social media and must always fact check. I ignore the AI summary on Google. I find it annoying that it comes up first.
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I haven’t found a way to change that. So often it is hard to ignore.
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🧡
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I never stop at one response, however authoritative it claims to be.
But then, I’m (was) a librarian.
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I’m with you, but then I was an English professor!
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Interestingly, as much as I dislike AI, I find the AI response on Google to be mostly true and helpful, especially searching for a ‘how to’ or a hard fact like how many hits a ball player had the previous day.
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I agree that occasionally it is useful.
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Yes, I recently came across Fake YouTube video messages of last century’s renowned Evangelist & a paticular faithful female Missionary that were really disturbing.
Someone with sophisticated programs had used their voice to put false messages out by what looked & sounded like these faithfuls. But on listening the messages didn’t align with their Godly principles that they had shared & taught for decades.
We truly need great discernment these days, I now go to their actual legacy websites & listen to their resources there, still with discernment though.
Blessins, Jennifer
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They are very sophisticated now. Phony speeches from Pope Leo abound. I now go straight to the Vatican to see what he is actually saying.
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Yes we need to continually discern what we watch, hear & believe Elizabeth.
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It’s all very concerning. I’ve been away traveling for a few days and am trying to play catch-up. I was listening to a podcast on my trip, which stated that it’s estimated that AI may take over 50% of white collar jobs in the next few years. As with much of this, I have no way to know if that’s based on actual science or just someone spouting off.
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So well said—and so frustrating, right? With all the AI noise, it’s getting harder to know what’s real anymore. I’ve started tuning out the hype and going back to what I can trust: real people, honest conversations, and products I know are the real deal.
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