ABC Friends strongly supports truthful and unbiased media and will continue to raise awareness and advocate for a stronger ABC that prioritises media integrity and truth. We also recognise that AI and social media are incredible resources to share information, and to learn and connect with new communities all over the globe.

In fact, we use our social media platforms to do just that. It is an integral way to grow community support and advocate for a stronger ABC. A larger online community of people who follow, like and share our posts creates a ripple effect that allows us to raise awareness with a wider audience.

The more of us who support and advocate for the ABC - the stronger it can become.

But…

Alongside the benefit of social media to an organisation like ABC Friends, however, we also need to be mindful that the ongoing development of AI is not without risks – and some of these require us all to read the fine print.

If you are an Instagram user, you may have noticed a new feature on your search bar to “ask Meta AI”, or “made by AI” labels popping up on your Facebook feed. Meta AI can generate AI imagery, respond to complex questions and aid users’ searches by instantly scouring the internet for answers - all without leaving Instagram.

After Meta’s recent opt-in policy affecting user’s ability to access “political” content, Mark Zuckerberg is now using social media accounts’ photos, posts, comments and interactions on the Meta platforms to train their Artificial Intelligence tool.

Only this time, Australians don’t have the choice to opt-in, or out. Meta outlines on its privacy page that the training is “using people’s data responsibly while building better experiences for connection and expression”. However, it is the lack of choice in the access to users’ information for training that has affected so many Australians.

Whilst AI is a useful tool, Meta’s decision sparks more of many conversations around plagiarism, intellectual property, privacy and truthful media online. In fact, the ABC recently published an interesting article about artists’ and designers’ copyright concerns with Meta’s AI training. Many users are considering leaving Instagram for fear of a detrimental impact to their work and livelihood.

AI and misinformation

Beyond copyright, this poses an interesting extension to the discussions of links between AI and misinformation online. With the ability to generate almost anything at our fingertips, will we see an even larger spike in fake news, misinformation and disinformation? Recently in his Redmond Barry Lecture, ABC Chair, Kim Williams said:

Around the world, people are beginning to speak up about the size of the threat to our freedoms represented by the arrival in our midst of this giant, all-too-often-angry machine, powered by a combination of digital technology, human emotions and artificial intelligence, which seems to have been designed purposefully to destroy facts, truth, reason, civility, trust, and — should we let it — democracy itself... we cannot let this happen.

AI and you

Demonising AI and the digital world isn’t really helpful as they are realities that won’t disappear. However, it is good to remain wary of fake news and fabricated media when you are online. Here is what we recommend:

1. Ask what is the intent behind the media?
   For example, is it satire?
   
   
2. Cross-referencing your media sources.
   • Is it a trusted media outlet?
   • Does the information include credits, references or attributions?
   • Is the URL credible?
   • Do they answer who, what, when, where and why.
   
   
3. Asking, is it AI?
   • Check if the image looks a little too perfect.
   • If it’s a picture of people, look at their teeth and hands - AI seems to give them too few or too many.
   • Check for an AI marker or label.

It will be interesting to watch the development of Meta AI and the digital landscape that is being built before our eyes. It is certainly a good reminder to read the terms and conditions before pressing accept.