Image source: Consumer Report
When it comes to information, the wrong kind is often harmful. With the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading misinformation is the last thing we need. Facebook has been working on this in recent weeks, using a global network of fact-checkers and an AI to prevent the spread of wrong info. But it seems that the AI for Facebook Ads isn't doing too good of a job.
According to TweakTown (via Consumer Report), an experiment to test how well Facebook Ads' AI can deal with misinformation was conducted recently. It found that the AI is quite poor at determining whether an ad should be approved or not. In theory, the AI will not approve ads that contain misinformation, such as those with claims of the current coronavirus pandemic being a hoax or that drinking bleach could cure it.
The AI can't block all misinformation
However, the ad that claims the virus being a hoax and another that declared social distancing useless were both approved. This proves that Facebook's AI is far from capable of properly screening all ads. Although these ads were not published and Facebook could remove them later, there's no telling how far the misinformation could spread and how much harm it could cause.
In this time we're living in, it's crucial to verify the truth of things we see on social media not spread them mindlessly. With that said, have you seen any news that you know are fake? Make sure to warn the people around you about them. We'll also keep an eye out for fake news and let you know which ones to look out for from time to time. Remember to stay tuned to TechNave.com for updates!
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