The Wall Street Journal's opinion section has published a column by Andy Kessler arguing that people need to become more skeptical of what they see and hear as artificial intelligence becomes more widespread.
Opinion · AI and trust
Trust less, check more: a call for personal vigilance as AI-generated content spreads
An opinion column urges readers to question what they see and hear, notice when something looks off, and adopt a measure of cynicism to avoid being deceived in an increasingly AI-driven environment.
The personal defense, step by step
The column's core advice, read as a sequence
STEP 1
Question routinely
Treat what you see and hear as open to doubt.
→
STEP 2
Notice what looks off
Be quick to spot signs that something is wrong.
→
STEP 3
Adopt cynicism
Hold a measure of skepticism toward convincing content.
→
OUTCOME
Less likely to be fooled
Those who skip these precautions bear the consequences.
Individual vigilance (the column's emphasis)
Personal judgment as a practical defense
Routine questioning of information
Quick recognition of anything that looks off
A measure of cynicism toward what appears genuine
Safeguards beyond the individual
Protections technology companies may adopt
Oversight regulators may introduce
Technical verification of content
Legal rules, still under debate
The central question
Is individual skepticism enough, or must it be backed by technical verification and legal rules?
The threat
Generative AI makes convincing text, images, audio, and video far cheaper and faster to produce.
The risks
Deepfakes, impersonation, and scams that exploit trust in familiar voices or faces.
The debate
How media literacy, platform responsibility, and security should share the load with personal judgment.
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