Artificial Intelligence: The Terminator of Truth

The media ecosystem propagated by inhuman recommendation algorithms can easily be weaponized by bad faith actors, and there exist clear examples in which such tactics have been utilized for anti-democratic ends. In the 2016 United States presidential election, Russian operatives created fake social media accounts with the goal of exacerbating political polarization and increasing social discord. These accounts propagated provocative and misleading statements that intentionally targeted delicate subjects, specifically issues regarding race. Controversial and highly engaging content like this is exactly what the recommendation algorithms favor, and there is no doubt the technology helped circulate Russian disinformation, which ultimately affected the results of the election.