Yes, I agree, ethics in AI is now THE most important topic. Also the debunking of DeepFakes. And the responsibility of AI researchers. But all these topics are actually — thankfully — very well discussed in all types of media, continuously. And that’s a good thing.

Yet I observe another situation: while there are enough conversations about AI-related responsibilities, there are too few debates about us, humans and our responsibilities. About our digital competence. About our perception. About our confrontation with reality.

AI is mostly depicted as an instance with destructive potential and people as victims. An easy game. Us versus the sublime. But it’s us who have to orient in this world. We have to become digitally mature.

I also don’t appeal to disbelief in our senses, it would be ridiculous. I rather appeal to be more self-reflective. To be more critical about everything we see. To be aware of the possibilities for fraud. Seeing is not believing — because what we see is not what we get. Also, I don’t want to take a pose of a wiseacre who knows where to go. I’m just one of many.

About truth: there is, as said, no truth, but countless perspectives. But there is only one reality, which people confuse with “truth”. And we never know everything about this reality, we just have our own perspectives about it. This reality means neutral occurrences, hard facts, singular events. Data. Our perspectives are fed by data being available for us. And it’s always incomplete.

• A said X.
• There were n people attending the inauguration of T.
• Z did (…).

The danger is, indeed, in faking this reality. In faking data. In deepfaking the sources. This is the main danger, where the power of AI misuse is devastating.

Just, if we will be able to recognize the fraud, the fakes, if we will be aware of it — then the malicious use of AI will be powerless against us.

These two responsibilities are crucial in the Digital Age:

• that of AI researchers and media to possibly give real, not “alternative” facts, to investigate, to debunk, to show neutral, even if it doesn’t fit into beloved concepts
• that of everybody in evaluating everything we get with healthy criticism, not buying so easily, not being influenced by the populism of media and politics. It’s not about “fake news”. It’s about a wise distance.

Finally, we are responsible for what is happening to us, to the world, to everybody, to others. We need social, medial and digital competence.