Beware Fake History

[Hornbein]

Youtube now sports history that is entirely fictional. An example is this.

It is easy to detect because the story isn't believable and there is no corroboration anywhere, but the superficial plausibility and wealth of phony detail fools most people. I have also seen a falsified mountain climbing adventure and a fake band whose music is excellent but images are AI synthesized and somehow the band has never appeared on a stage anywhere. The music seems to have fooled everyone. Well, the fakes are only going to improve -- it would be easy to provide a phony Wikipedia page and other pseudo online presence -- so surely this is here to stay.

I have mixed feelings about it. Mountain climbing adventures and music are for me just entertainment so what difference does it make whether it's fictional? But somehow I don't like these frauds.

 

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[PeroK]

I know we have to avoid specific politics on here, but AI is developing at a time when politics generally is losing all sense of truth and humanity's common cause. I'm not the only one who sees parallels with the 1930's. We have the worst human beings rising to the top and gaining ever more wealth, power and media influence. Once they have the full power of AI, it's difficult to see anything other than a dystopian future.

That said, even without AI, the future is looking very bleak indeed. All AI might do is hasten the endgame.

 

[Hornbein]

The western world has moved post truth.

 

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[PeroK]

The western world has moved post truth.

I believe we are not there yet, but not enough people or organisations are prepared to fight the post-truth narrative. I openly admit that I don't fully understand what's going on. I hope I'm wrong, but I feel like too many people are in denial about what's happening and how quickly it's happening.

That said, a genuine problem is that the alternative (opposition, if you like) is too fragmented. I'll not reference the specifics, but I feel like there are several key issues which seem to divide people into opposite, irreconcilable camps. I can't say any more without getting into the specifics.

 

[DaveC426913]

Well, the fakes are only going to improve -- it would be easy to provide a phony Wikipedia page and other pseudo online presence -- so surely this is here to stay.

This may be naive and/or outdated on my part but I believe wiki is still very human-driven. Additions and edits may get posted but they last a very short time before being corrected or removed.

 

[PeroK]

This may be naive and/or outdated on my part but I believe wiki is still very human-driven. Additions and edits may get posted but they last a very short time before being corrected or removed.

Elon Musk has launched Grokipedia, as a rival to Wikipedia, which will be his own version of the truth!

Which is very much my point that a collaborative consensus is or may be being replaced by the truth according to the world's richest man.

 

[256bits]

I bet this part of early 1900's was not covered in class.
Rise of the Automatons

 

[DaveC426913]

... his own version of the truth!

Ah yes. The Return of the Revenge of the Alternative Fact: the Sequel.