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As artificial intelligence (AI) became a norm in daily life it also gave chance to the creation and spread of misinformation, especially among the vulnerable demographic that spend most time on the internet.
A study published by Common Sense Media, on Wednesday, asked 1,000 teenagers aged 13 to 18 about their experience with media generated by AI tool, as reported by CNN.
About 41% reported they have come across real yet misleading content and 22% revealed that they had shared information that later turned out to be fake.
This conclusion came after it was found that seven out of ten teenagers had tried generative AI, with the number increasing as the tech tools become more accessible by each day.
When the research asked what they think of top tech corporations, majority of the teenagers showed their distrust in big tech firms including Google, Meta, TikTok and Apple.
The study noted, "The ease and speed at which generative AI allows everyday users to spread unreliable claims and inauthentic media may exacerbate teens’ existing low levels of trust in institutions like the media and government."
The distrust of teenagers in tech giants mirrored the growing dissatisfaction the majority of US feels with the industry.
Elon Musk, after acquiring X in 2022, has made major changes to platform such as allowing hate speech and misinformation and letting conspiracy theorist roam around the platform freely.
Along with that, Meta also removed fact-checkers, which would lead to harmful content appearing more frequently across Facebook and Instagram.
The study asked for the prioritisation of transparency and to enhance the the tech that could provide credibility of the content being posted on the social medias platform across the internet.