"AI as a Money-Making Opportunity"... Rapid Increase in Fake News Sites Generated by AI

"'Artificial Intelligence (AI) junk' is polluting the internet."

As efforts to leverage AI as a business opportunity spread, an analysis has emerged that AI-generated fake news content (AI junk) is increasing exponentially.

On the 12th (local time), according to NewsGuard, a US fake news tracking organization, the number of news sites producing fake news content using AI reached 277 as of the end of June. These sites use generative AI, which creates sentences and videos like ChatGPT, to mass-produce fake news mimicking media outlets such as the New York Times (NYT) and CNN, generating advertising revenue through this. Fake news such as the explosion photo of the US Department of Defense building (Pentagon) that shook the US stock market in May and rumors of the death of US President Joe Biden were created and spread through these sites.

Gordon Crovitz, co-founder of NewsGuard, pointed out that these sites use AI to increase views with sensational and provocative news content created by AI, thereby earning substantial advertising revenue, turning AI into a new business opportunity. He warned, "(Fake news sites) abusing AI like this are increasing exponentially."

YouTube is flooded with videos explaining how to make money with AI-generated fake news. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) compared this movement to the Gold Rush era, stating, "The ChatGPT Gold Rush is in full swing on YouTube." Currently, dozens of video contents advising how to make money using OpenAI technology are uploaded on YouTube, with views reaching hundreds of thousands. A video titled "How to make thousands of dollars a week" explains how to expose a blog filled with AI-generated content at the top of Google's search results to increase advertising revenue.

When criticism arose that these AI-generated fake news are not filtered at all by Google's search engine and are exposed as search results, Google issued a statement saying, "Manipulating search results using AI-generated content violates our policies, and we strive to protect and manage search results from spam and manipulated content."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Countries around the world and major international organizations are also busy with moves to control AI. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold its first meeting on the 18th to discuss the threats AI may pose to human peace and security. In September, under the leadership of UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, an 'AI Advisory Board' will be established to concretize AI response plans. Earlier, on the 14th of last month, the European Parliament, the legislative body of the European Union (EU), passed the world's first comprehensive regulation on AI. This regulation includes a proposal to completely ban biometric recognition such as facial recognition using AI.

The United States, facing growing concerns about AI-generated fake news ahead of next year's presidential election, is accelerating legislative efforts at both congressional and executive levels. The White House regularly holds policy development meetings for the safe use of AI, and the US Senate has recently begun discussions on AI policy.