How is AI shaping our public discourse?

AI is dramatically transforming the ways in which we create content, present information, and formulate arguments. Technologies such as large language models, social media algorithms, and synthetic media generation have the potential to upend mechanisms of social discourse that are central to the functioning of liberal democratic systems. In this episode of The Management Lab, we explore the impacts of AI on social discourse. We explore a wide range of questions, including the following: What specific technologies have the greatest potential to affect social discourse? How can we discriminate between truth and falsehood and what is the importance of critical thinking in an AI era? What effects might AI have for organizations and managers? Are there potential benefits for AI in social discourse? What can we do to address the threats to social discourse engendered by AI? This discussion is a bit broader that our usual focus, but tune in to learn more about AI and its societal impact.   Research discussed in the episode: Brady, W. J., Jackson, J. C., Lindström, B., & Crockett, M. J. (2023). Algorithm-mediated social learning in online social networks. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(10), 947-960. Brandt, J. (2023). Propaganda, foreign interference, and generative AI. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. Chesney, B., & Citron, D. (2019). Deep fakes: A looming challenge for privacy, democracy, and national security. California Law Review, 107, 1753. Goldstein, J. A., Chao, J., Grossman, S., Stamos, A., & Tomz, M. (2024). How persuasive is AI-generated propaganda? PNAS Nexus, 3(2), 034. Hazell, J. (2023). Spear phishing with large language models. arXiv Preprint arXiv:2305.06972.