Thinking about Real News
September 7, 2019
Now that AI has gotten reasonably good at generating fake news, we have a study that emphasizes how dangerous such false articles can be. The Association for Psychological Science reports, “Fake News Can Lead to False Memories.” While the study, from the University College Cork, was performed on Irish citizens ahead of a vote on an abortion referendum, its results can easily apply to voters in any emotional or partisan contest. Like, say, next year’s U.S. presidential election.
Researchers recruited 3,140 likely voters and had them read six articles relevant to the referendum, two of which were accounts of scandalous behavior that never actually happened. We learn:
“After reading each story, participants were asked if they had heard about the event depicted in the story previously; if so, they reported whether they had specific memories about it. The researchers then informed the eligible voters that some of the stories they read had been fabricated, and invited the participants to identify any of the reports they believed to be fake. Finally, the participants completed a cognitive test. Nearly half of the respondents reported a memory for at least one of the made-up events; many of them recalled rich details about a fabricated news story. The individuals in favor of legalizing abortion were more likely to remember a falsehood about the referendum opponents; those against legalization were more likely to remember a falsehood about the proponents. Many participants failed to reconsider their memory even after learning that some of the information could be fictitious. And several participants recounted details that the false news reports did not include.
We note:
“‘This demonstrates the ease with which we can plant these entirely fabricated memories, despite this voter suspicion and even despite an explicit warning that they may have been shown fake news,’ [lead author Gillian] Murphy says.”
Indeed it does. Even those who scored high on the cognitive test were susceptible to false memories, though those who scored lower were more likely to recall stories that supported their own opinions. At least the more intelligent among us seem better able to question their own biases. Alas, not only the intelligent vote.
In addition to fake articles that can now be generated quickly and easily with the help of AI, we are increasingly subjected to convincing fake photos and videos, too. Let us hope the majority of the population learns to take such evidence with a grain of salt, and quickly. Always consider the source.
Cynthia Murrell, September 9, 2019
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