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Kate Citron's avatar

Part of me thinks the shift to emerging media is positive and the other part of me is concerned. If we're all just searching for voices that sound like our own, we'll stop exposing ourselves to differing opinions and become even more rooted in our beliefs. Depending on the topic, that's not inherently a bad thing but if it's about policies and government, we're going to become even more isolated. A scary thought...

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Caroline Albro's avatar

Great point. I like the idea of seeking authenticity in the media I consume, but I also think that our preference for relatability and connection in media can be a double-edged sword that could spiral towards an echo chamber.

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Stephanie Holland's avatar

... and mirror by the echo chamber of generative AI which the Pope warns is 'reinforcing' rather than 'generative'. Here's what Pope Francis said in his essay:

"... generative artificial intelligence is not really “generative”. Instead, it searches big data for information and puts it together in the style required of it. It does not develop new analyses or concepts, but repeats those that it finds, giving them an appealing form. Then, the more it finds a repeated notion or hypothesis, the more it considers it legitimate and valid. Rather than being “generative”, then, it is instead “reinforcing” in the sense that it rearranges existing content, helping to consolidate it, often without checking whether it contains errors or preconceptions."

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