After the US Presidential Election, many were furious at
Facebook for helping to spread fake news. People were sharing stories that had
little or no basis in reality, fuelling concerns that many votes were based on
false beliefs. There was also the concern that it could lead to potentially
violent incidents, as did happen. To combat the spread of fake news, it was
recently revealed that Facebook would be using AI to help clamp down on
illegitimate sources of news. Let’s examine what this means.
How fake news became a problem
The US Election season sees a flurry of articles, all of it
drenched in intense emotional responses due to the stakes involved. It’s very
hard for any middle ground to be reached, as people firmly believe their party
or candidate is right. In this volatile atmosphere, with people more prepared
to spread outrage than interrogating sources, fake news can spread like
wildfire. Facebook came under a lot of fire because it served as a way for fake
news to spread easily. As Gizmodo summarized:
“Critics have accused the social network of allowing false
and hoax news stories to run rampant, with some suggesting that Facebook
contributed to Donald Trump’s election by letting hyper-partisan websites
spread false and misleading information.”
Whatever one’s position or preferred candidate, everyone can
agree truth is better than fiction. You want to support or oppose someone for
what they actually did, not on what a fake news site said they did. Of course,
fake news is nothing new, but it is finding new ground that we have a chance of
controlling. Facts should matter when making decisions since it actually deals
with the real world. Otherwise, you’d just be making bad decisions.
Why Facebook was at fault and what their solution is
NY Mag’s Max Read put the fault of fake news, admittedly
hyperbolically, at Facebook’s feet stating that Facebook’s mechanisms for
distribution as well as it’s gigantic audience, “makes it the only site to
support a genuinely lucrative market in which shady publishers trade traffic by
enticing people off Facebook and onto ad-festooned websites, using stories that
are alternately made up, incorrect, exaggerated beyond all relationship to
truth, or all three.”
How right Read is, is up for debate. However, this is merely
a comprehensive overview of the challenge many have said Facebook faces. And
Facebook itself is responding. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the social
media giant is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help combat the spread of
fake news. With machine learning and other advanced functions, it’s hoped that
this new system can whittle down sources of fake news so that no one can spread
it to those within their circles.
Many critics have highlighted that Facebook’s refusal to
intervene is irresponsible. After all, if other media sites have internal
processes to determine good and bad sources, Facebook should too. Mark
Zuckerberg had consistently opposed the view that Facebook is a media company to
dismiss these claims but recently might’ve come around.
As the Guardian reported, Zuckerberg said: “We don’t write
the news that people read on the platform. But at the same time we also know
that we do is a lot more than just distribute news, and we’re an important part
of the public discourse.”
This helps solidify the point that Facebook is taking its
opposition to fake news and encouragement of proper sources seriously. With
machine learning and proper implementation of artificial intelligence, they may
have a powerful method to do so. As we’ve said before, you can and must
consider using AI to enhance your customer experience. If Facebook is doing it,
it may be time for other businesses to follow.
