Have you been online lately and thought – this just doesn’t look right?
Recently I saw a brief snippet online that looked like a TVNZ interview with Jack Tame. It showed a famous New Zealander advocating for an investment scheme that frankly sounded too good to be true. It certainly looked realistic but my common sense said otherwise. Why would this famous person be promoting something that sounded too good to be true? And why would this be popping up on my newsfeed?
It was probably a scam generated by someone who knows how to use AI tools.
Unfortunately, AI does not have a conscience. But we do!
Bad actors, combined with AI, can now create false or misleading information, sometimes using AI, sometimes not, and upload it to the internet. It’s not only scams and fake pictures but also low quality content and it’s starting to flood our social media. It comes in the form of social media posts, altered pictures, videos, emails and junk adverts that compete for our attention. It’s even got a name – the SLOP economy – that stands for Seriously Lacking Objective Perspective.
Some SLOP is deliberately designed to mislead us, some of it is just shared by mistake. But why does this matter? AI tools used by bad actors are making it harder for us to know what is real and what is fake. Scams become more sophisticated; health or financial information may not be reliable and even your precious photos and videos can be altered and manipulated.
We’re starting to lose online confidence! But what can we do about it? STOP – THINK – CHECK!
If it’s an urgent appeal – slow down to consider. Ask someone you trust to have a look. Verify! If it’s financial – check with your bank. If it’s medical, check with your pharmacy. If it’s a product, ask yourself if it really could deliver on its promise and does your medical adviser recommend it.
If you would like me to come talk to your group about any AI topics, flick me an email – heather@foresee.co.nz. Or come along to SeniorTech Skills at the library, Tuesday 1.30pm.
A “thank you” to Heather Newell for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.
05/10/26
