The Eye Behind The eye

Take a scroll through your favorite social media platform and invariably you’ll come across images, videos, and information that were generated by a non-human source. From the overly rendered selfie (filters, anyone?) to the outright blatant fiction of a Pegasus landing on a person’s roof, computer generated images and content are everywhere. In part, these things provide amusement, but a line is easily crossed when a writer uses these types of images in content presented to others as fact. It is one thing to touch up that family photograph, and another to create an image of an actual event to pass it off as the real deal.

We mostly hear reports of “false news” and “fact checking” during the political season, but solid research is important for maintaining the integrity of all information. What’s the harm? In the case of the family-photo, not much beyond grandma’s question to your mother of, “Has Susan had work done?”. But fictional images created of factual events not only lend less credibility to the severity of an event, but also leave people doubting if any of the images they see are real. We become jaded to the real images of actual events when we’re repeatedly confronted with what amounts to a bald faced lie.

Doing basic research on a topic has grown increasingly complicated. Conduct a Google search on any subject and the first result is from A.I. It’s tempting to assume this answer is cultivated over a series of sources, pulling the common answers across multiple websites, but those websites may not all be credible. After all, has A.I. been programmed to consider valid sources in generating its responses – sources that require content to be reviewed by qualified editors and peers?

Taking the time to go to the most direct source for the facts in your writing is critical to help prevent the spread of false or misleading information and keep people informed, without perpetuating the cycle of spreading lies. Need to know some quick facts about past Super Bowl winners? Go to the NFL homepage. Is there such a thing as the Egyptian Year of the Bug? Start with Britannica (they even list their sources for their information). How many whiskers are on a cat? Ask a veterinarian. Yes, you can look up this type of information online, but interviewing experts also lends credibility, and depth, to your writing.

Does this seem like a lot when the facts you want to include in your work are secondary to your content? Failing to check the information you present affects your reputation. Repeat too many false things, and you get lumped in with the other hucksters and damage your credibility. 

If you don’t want to do your own research, hire a professional to fact-check your content. Unless you have a fact-savvy friend who is willing to donate their time to help you out, hiring a professional not only gets you closer to your content being clear, but accurate too. This is your reputation on the line, and if you hire a professional, it’s theirs as well.

As A.I. evolves with time, it may become more factually relevant. For now, take the extra time to do quality research for your quality content. Your readers will thank you.