The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

"A lie can travel halfway across the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." - Mark Twain. The truth is something we desire and crave as humans. Without truth or certainty, life would feel empty, directionless, and meaningless. It’s what we were taught from day 1 as children. “Liar, liar pants on fire” or “Honesty is the best policy” were sayings that were etched into our brains over all these years. But the unfortunate reality about the truth is that it’s almost never clear-cut and announced to the world. Finding the truth requires some digging. Even then, the truth you get your hands on may not even be the real truth. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the truth is skewed all the time.

That’s where the Illusory Truth Theory comes in. We humans just so happen to be very human… and nowhere near perfect. The Illusory Truth Theory tackles the idea of the truth being misrepresented. When a piece of information is given to someone more than once, in a somewhat organized manner, they may perceive what is said as the truth. Whether it's true or not, our brain associates repetition of information with that information being true… even if we can identify that the information may be wrong.

Repetition makes things easier to process for our brains, therefore confirming the information and prepping it to be used or passed along. That’s why even when you think you may be getting the truth, and the person you are speaking with thinks they are giving you the truth, that’s not always the case. It’s also why rumors and incorrect narratives get spread so easily. It can be done without harm, without punishment. 

This comes with its strengths and weaknesses. In the world of communication and advertising, this can be used as a tool to move the masses. Repetition of information to the public can play into your company or governmental narrative, product, and overall income if executed the right way. For example, have you ever heard people say that humans only use 10% of their brain? Well, that is simply not true and has been perpetuated through society forever. Humans use almost all areas of the brain throughout the day, and most are often active. This is an example of how information that we often hear and believe to be true can be miscommunicated. 

It’s important as a society that we try to seek our own truth out. While sometimes, you can’t control being fed incorrect information, it’s on us at the end of the day to decipher truth from myth. From big companies to your coworker who thinks he knows everything, people will try to mislead you. People will try to benefit from your lack of knowledge on a topic. Don’t be a pawn. Formulate your own opinions and spread the truth wherever you can. Surround yourself with people who seek the truth the way you do. Don’t be afraid to stand up and speak when the truth is being miscommunicated. 

My generation is at risk when it comes to this theory. All we know is an age where anyone can post information and have a voice. But that only increases our risk of incorrect information. Be careful where you’re getting your information. This causes an increase in the value of credibility. For example, a news agency like BBC or FOX has been around for decades, delivering information that has come out to be true. Because they’ve developed this track record of delivering accurate information, we trust them more in turn. And in a world where delivering news fast is a high priority, the agencies that can deliver TRUE information as FAST as possible are the ones that are rewarded for it. 

In a society where the lines between truth and fabrication are blurred, be a light of truth. Educate yourself and your peers, dig deeper, and stand up to the lies.

The Future of Artificial Intelligence

"We gave technology a place in our lives that it did not earn." This quote from Roger McNamee in the documentary In The Age Of AI really jumped out at me. What a phenomenal way to phrase that. Technology has always been something we look to advance society, speed up tasks, and help solve our problems. But what happens when it goes too far in the wrong direction, and now there are all these problems stemming from the constant technology at our fingertips? How will the advancement of technology and AI change our futures?

You've heard all types of cliché negative narratives of AI. "It's going to turn on us," or "there won't be any jobs left".  I understand it can be hurtful to society if put in the wrong hands or used incorrectly, but I think AI world takeover isn't something we will have to worry about. At least for the next century. 

When I was first wrapping my head around AI, one of my biggest concerns was AI creating fake videos or pictures of people and getting them in trouble for something they didn't do. I now understand that, naturally, AI will force a lot of laws to be made. In the same way that we needed ship acts for the wireless telegraph, or television regulation for children's programs, the ability to regulate AI will hold this social shift together. 

The field I am entering after school is the beautiful world of media production. An area of commerce that has had tons of buzz around it, with AI growing. AI can generate pictures and images in seconds, way faster than a crew of people going to get the footage themselves. It can write scripts and plots in minutes, be a soundboard for ideas, and give feedback you may not have thought of. 

That being said, AI can be a lot for the creative process. But I believe that there's one thing that AI will never be... And that's an artist. You must be human to be an artist. "Artificial," it's literally in the name. While it can do all of these things to help us creatively, it can never take the jobs of the minds behind the art. AI can only think conventionally; it won't make something new and fresh, it will take from things it finds from the past. 

For the most part, AI is going to take these mundane tasks we don't want to spend time on, complete them, and we humans can get to doing more. In fact, I think we will see a boom in media and entertainment. Entertainment will become more valuable to the average person. Meaning, substance, creativity, and truth will all increase in value. You already see it happening. Companies are starting to invest in creative studios. Companies will have movies, shows, documentaries, etc., completely centered around their company and product. A person or a company's "story" is going to be what sells when it's all said and done.