Everywhere you look, it’s fakes, frauds, counterfeits and copycats.
Nothing seems true. Reality is in crisis.
So how does authenticity survive in the AI age?
For more than 20 years as a journalist covering technology, science and society, I’ve been witness to the slow collapse of our sense of what is “real” and the rise of a culture of fakes. And with artificial intelligence accelerating this assault on authenticity, almost everything we make, consume and share seems up for grabs.
I’ve been researching a book on the nature of this collapse, looking for examples that help explain what’s going on, and trying to find out what we can do about it. These are my ongoing thoughts.
Why should I subscribe?
If you have ever been slurped, cheated, or bamboozled by the postmodern infoblob, this email is for you. If you have ever been duped by an AI-generated image and felt that hot pang of shame; if you’ve ever shared a story that you knew was too good to be true but did it anyway, this email is for you.
If you don’t like being fooled, but you’re tired of having to double check every single piece of information that comes your way? If you’ve ever wondered how the hell did we get here? You get the idea.
You’re not alone. I’m with you, and we’ll find a way through it together.
How often are you going to invade my inbox?
Weekly. No more than that, I promise!
And it’s always free.
And who exactly do you think you are?
My name is Bobbie Johnson, I’m a journalist who has written for outlets including the Guardian, New York Times, Wired, and MIT Technology Review.
As well as freelance writing and editing, I also run the non-fiction book subscription service Curious Reading Club, am associate publisher of the science fiction magazine Locus, and provide editorial consulting through my studio, Super Hyper.
And I am 99.5% real.
