We don’t use AI. Indeed, Travel Industry Today produces content the old-fashioned way – by real people, who really travel, and through travel industry sources cultivated literally for decades. I mention this because a just-released survey by The Canadian Journalism Foundation reports that fully one-half of Canadians admit they are not confident in their ability to distinguish between fake news generated by AI and human-produced content.
Conducted by Maru Public Opinion, the survey also uncovered some other startling results:
• 58% of Canadians believe they have personally encountered misleading or false online/social media information in the past six months that was generated by AI
• 71% say governments will not be able to regulate companies that generate AI content for online/social media use.
“When half the Canadian public is challenged on deciding what’s real and not, the credibility of both journalism and media outlets has never mattered more,” says John Wright, Executive VP of Maru Public Opinion. “Without a reliable anchor for truth in this incredible sea change, online deception will easily distort reality, wreaking confusion and skepticism everywhere.”
“Canadians are beginning to identify and understand the risks of AI-generated misinformation,” adds Kathy English of the CJF board. “With these perilous new threats to the integrity of information, it is imperative that Canadians of all ages comprehend the importance of news and information from credible sources.”
“These findings emphasize the crucial need for promoting news literacy across all segments of Canadian society,” says Natalie Turvey, CJF president and executive director. “The CJF is committed to serving as a driving force for advancing news literacy skills and critical thinking to enhance public understanding of the media and also to nurture trust between Canadians and their news sources.”
A handful of news organizations have already begun to set rules on how to integrate fast-developing tech tools like ChatGPT into their work. However, highly publicized cases of AI-generated “hallucinations,” or made-up facts, make it important that consumers know that standards are in place to “make sure the content they’re reading, watching and listening to is verified, credible and as fair as possible,” journalism think tank Poynter Institute wrote in a recent editorial.
We agree. So, while some may occasionally question our intelligence at Travel Industry Today, at least we can attest that it ain’t artificial.