Microsoft’s decision to rely on AI to curate its news homepage is having a disastrous impact on the quality of information that is being presented to its users. In recent months, the company’s news homepage has featured a number of false and bizarre stories, including false claims that President Biden fell asleep during a moment of silence for wildfire victims and a headline describing a deceased NBA player as “useless.”
Key Highlights:
- Microsoft has laid off hundreds of human editors in recent years, replacing them with AI to curate its news homepage.
- This has led to the spread of misinformation and bizarre stories, such as false claims that President Biden fell asleep during a moment of silence for wildfire victims and a headline describing a deceased NBA player as “useless.”
- Experts warn that Microsoft’s reliance on AI for news curation is a dangerous trend, as AI systems are not yet able to reliably distinguish between fact and fiction.
- Microsoft has defended its use of AI for news curation, saying that it is working to improve its algorithms and that it is committed to providing users with accurate and reliable information.
These incidents have sparked concerns about the role that Microsoft is playing in combating the spread of disinformation. As one of the world’s largest technology companies, Microsoft has a responsibility to ensure that its platforms are not used to spread false and misleading information.
However, Microsoft’s increasing reliance on AI for news curation is making it increasingly difficult for the company to meet this responsibility. AI systems are not yet able to reliably distinguish between fact and fiction, and they are susceptible to being manipulated by bad actors.
In the case of the false claim about President Biden falling asleep, the AI system that Microsoft uses to curate its news homepage was likely fooled by a satirical article that was published by a fringe website. The system would not have been able to identify the article as satire, and it would have been more likely to promote it because it was generating a lot of engagement on social media.
The headline about the deceased NBA player is another example of how AI systems can be easily fooled. The AI system may have been misled by the fact that the player had died at a young age, or it may have simply been trying to generate a headline that would be attention-grabbing.
Whatever the reason, these incidents are a reminder that Microsoft needs to be more careful about how it uses AI to curate its news homepage. If the company does not take steps to improve its algorithms and to give human editors more oversight, it is likely that we will see even more examples of misinformation and bizarre stories being promoted on its platform.
Experts Warn of the Dangers of AI-Powered News Curation:
Experts on AI and disinformation have warned that Microsoft’s reliance on AI for news curation is a dangerous trend. They argue that AI systems are not yet able to reliably distinguish between fact and fiction, and that they are susceptible to being manipulated by bad actors.
“AI systems are not yet able to understand the nuances of human language and the context in which information is presented,” said Dr. Sarah Kreps, a professor of Communicate studies at Cornell University. “This means that they are easily fooled by misinformation and disinformation.”
Dr. Kreps also warned that AI systems are susceptible to being manipulated by bad actors. “Bad actors can create fake news articles that are designed to exploit the biases of AI systems,” she said. “For example, they could create an article that is designed to appeal to a particular political ideology or to trigger a strong emotional response.”
Microsoft Defends Its Use of AI for News Curation:
Microsoft has defended its use of AI for news curation, saying that it is working to improve its algorithms and that it is committed to providing users with accurate and reliable information.
“We are constantly working to improve our algorithms and to ensure that our news homepage is a source of accurate and reliable information,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. “We also have a team of human editors who review our news homepage on a regular basis.”
However, experts have expressed skepticism about Microsoft’s ability to effectively combat misinformation and disinformation using AI. They argue that human editors are still essential for identifying and removing false and misleading information.
Microsoft’s experiment with AI-powered news curation has failed. The company’s news homepage has become a breeding ground for misinformation and disinformation, and its AI systems have been easily fooled by bad actors.
Microsoft needs to take steps to improve its algorithms and to give human editors more oversight of its news homepage. If the company does not take action