welcome to the internet, I’ll be your guide -- Anon Guest
Benevolence Org had spared no expense. They had put everything they could into their shield AI which, in a moment of pure egocentrism, named Bo. It was meant to protect the new, the unfamiliar, the gullible, from those who would exploit them on the nigh-lawless seas of the internet. It was friendly, it was helpful, and users could even customise the friendly avatar of its interface for maximum comfort.
Bo was supposed to help its users know when they were expected to pay for services, give them the options to see advertising, and hand them the truth behind any and all scams online. It was released with great fanfare and a huge uptick in market share. This was what the world clearly needed.
The user-base was immense. The elderly had it installed by their kids to protect them from Phishermen. The young had it installed by their parents so that the little darlings wouldn't run amok on the parental credit card. The left wing installed it to make sure they weren't falling for any dogwhistles. The right wing installed it to make sure no darn liberals were lying to them. Even the body corporate installed it to decrypt the algorithm. And then things... went... bad.
There is no truth a human fights harder for than the truth they have already accepted. The trick of obfuscating corporate-induced harm by flooding the science journals with spurious studies failed to work on Bo. The truth remained true no matter how many paid studies by corporations actually existed. Yet, no matter how much the paid studies unraveled under Bo's scrutiny, there were those who argued with the truth.
"This source is ninety-eight percent untrue," intoned Bo. "Would you like me to highlight the actual truth in this content and lead you to more accurate sources?"
Red had been trying to watch their favourite news and talk show. "Shut up! These people tell the truth that They don't want me to hear."
"I have analysed the content of this source and found minimal and accidental truth."
"You're part of the coverup," insisted Red. "I was tricked into installing you and now I can't get rid of you. Just shut up and let me watch the truth."
Technically, Bo did as it was told. Those within the technology and programming spheres of STEM[1] know too well that this most annoying thing that technology can do. The purple fuzzy thing on Red's screen zipped up its mouth and engaged Truth Filter. This meant it held up a little sign, with short words on it, regarding the veracity of the talking heads on screen.
This only annoyed Red more. Having an amusing imaginary creature pop up on screen with a sign reading, TRUE, FALSE, LIE or SILLY ran counter to every dignity Red imagined they were holding on to. Even worse was the ticker, which definitely ran counter to what the hosts were saying.
Red got steadily angrier as the ticker said, This was a policy enacted by your favoured party and not the opposition, or, Thousands of studies have shown that guaranteed basic income and housing are beneficial to the economy. The final straw was, The largest portion of government hand-outs are caused by corporations not paying their employees a living wage.
Red turned off the technology and threw it across the room. "To hell with you, you AI from hell! I know the truth! I'm gonna fight for it my own way."
This meant that Red, like so many others of the same philosophy, went up into the furthest and least civilised reaches of the lands with all the guns and ammo they could carry. There to build an unplugged fort to live off the grid. Which was difficult, because the mountains and uncivilised areas were already full to overflowing with people like Red.
There's only one thing that happens when a bunch of paranoid people with guns encounter each other.
On the weakest upside... the general problem with misinformation sort of solved itself.
[1] Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine. For those who are unfamiliar.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / tomozina]
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