The Monday Outlook: Surviving the Age of Digital Deception

The Monday Outlook 

Surviving the Age of Digital Deception

Newswise — AI-generated content and social media algorithms have supercharged the spread of misinformation across the digital landscape. It has become increasingly difficult to figure out what is real, casting doubt on everything from news headlines to medical advice to the veracity of cute animal videos. Every day is April Fool’s Day online, so this week’s Monday Outlook highlights UChicago scholars who can discuss how technology-driven misinformation is shifting how people perceive reality, and provide solutions to help people avoid being tricked. As always, reporters can find scholars on any topic through our Media Resources page, our Academic Communicators Network, and our archive of Monday Outlooks. If you are on deadline and need to speak to someone, contact Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, director of media relations, at aelejalderuiz@uchicago.edu. Know someone who should be receiving the Outlook? Share the sign-up link here.

DEVELOPING AI LITERACY
Mina Lee leads the AI & Me group at UChicago, studying how generative AI and large language models are changing the way people write, read, and think. Her work identifies opportunities and risks of AI-assisted content creation. She can comment on developing AI literacy to equip the public to engage with AI systems more mindfully and responsibly.

ALGORITHMS & POLARIZATION

Joshua Conrad Jackson is a behavioral scientist who studies how social media algorithms amplify biases that exacerbate political polarization and false beliefs. He identifies practical ways to reduce these negative effects. Jackson can comment on the best ways to improve social media algorithms to prevent further polarization and spread of misinformation. 

AI & CONTENT MODERATION
Marshini Chetty is director of the Amyoli Internet Research Laboratory and a specialist in human-computer interaction. She has researched tech companies’ content moderation policies and how they apply to AI-generated content. Chetty can discuss how tech companies claim to moderate AI-generated content and whether the policies are effective in practice. 

INFORMING THE ELECTORATE
Chenhao Tan studies the relationship between language, technology, and political discourse. In the approach to the midterm elections, he has created CivicChats, an AI platform designed to help voters engage more critically and thoughtfully with the issues shaping their communities. Tan can speak to using AI to fight political misinformation and cultivate a more well-informed electorate.

AI-GENERATED CHILDREN’S MEDIA
Dana Suskind is the co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at UChicago. Her research focuses on foundational brain development for young children. Suskind can speak on the recent surge in AI-generated videos geared towards children, which she calls “toddler AI misinformation at an industrial scale.” 

DEBUNKING FALSE CLAIMS
Junsol Kim is a Sociology Ph.D. student studying how AI and other technologies can bridge or deepen cultural and political divides. He can discuss his research on strategies to debunk false claims on X and how the consequences of those online rebuttals reflect how people react to facts that challenge their perception of reality. 

FIGHTING FAKE NEWS WITH AI
Jens Ludwig leads the Bike Shop @UChicago, a new lab dedicated to algorithmic public policy, and directs the UChicago Crime Lab and Education Lab. Ludwig has written about the limitations of using AI to stop fake news and can discuss how the spread of false claims online has impacted people’s understanding of real-life social issues. 

HARMS OF MEDICAL MISINFORMATION
Douglas Nordli, III is an assistant professor of pediatrics specializing in epilepsy care. He has conducted research on the prevalence of medical misinformation on TikTok, specifically on epileptic seizures. He can comment on how medical misinformation on social media endangers the health of people seeking care.

TIKTOK, FALSE CLAIMS & PREGNANCY
Caroline Thomas is an anesthesiologist who specializes in obstetric anesthesiology. She studies the impact of social media on patient choices about pain control and epidural analgesia. She can discuss the quality and accuracy of TikTok videos about epidurals, as well as some of the most prevalent epidural-related themes, trends, and false claims on TikTok.

PROPAGANDA MACHINES & WAR
Konstantin Sonin is a political economist and expert on Russian politics. He has written about how authoritarian regimes use misinformation to manipulate the public. Sonin can discuss how false narratives fueled by state media, social media, and AI impact global conflicts.