AI draws responses to questions by quickly screening the internet for data that would give an answer that appears to meet the parameters of the question poised. There is no fact-checking of that internet data.
Much of what is on the web was added by people (like me) who are likely to write their opinion, not peer-reviewed evidence-based fact.
I recall getting into a discussion with a parent about my professional opinion that her child should get the MMR immunisation. She was adamant that the MMR jab causes autism and that she wasn’t about to take any risks with the health of her child. I assured her that the evidence suggests the opposite and she became angry and left but not before chastising me and suggesting I go back on-line and do my “research”.
Now I see that the head of the department of health in the USA believes the same disproven lies (originally released as part of a scheme to win $millions from the vaccine producers).
There is a whole generation that believe what they read on the internet. They have not undertaken study in research methods and haven’t the tools to judge validity. Add the authority of AI to the mix and behold: the second dark ages.
At the end everyone needs to check the answer\research they do to confirm the answer.
Miss information isn’t new, or just internet issue, it was there before the internet, even when we went to the university library to gather information for our thesis.
1. The Bell Curve (1994) “ Intelligence and Race
Claim: Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray argued that intelligence is largely genetic and that racial differences in IQ scores explain social inequality.
Conflict: Critics pointed out methodological flaws, biases, and misuse of IQ data, arguing that environmental factors and systemic inequalities were ignored.
2. Jared Diamonds Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) “ Geographic Determinism
Claim: The book suggests that environmental and geographic factors primarily shaped the dominance of certain civilizations.
Conflict: Historians and anthropologists argue that it oversimplifies history, underestimating cultural, political, and individual human agency.
3. Sigmund Freuds Theories “ Psychoanalysis and Childhood Trauma
Claim: Freud suggested that many psychological disorders stem from repressed childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse.
Conflict: Later research indicated that some of his case studies were misinterpreted or even fabricated, and many of his theories lack empirical support.
4. Margaret Meads Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) “ Cultural Misinterpretation
Claim: Mead argued that Samoan adolescence was free of stress and sexual repression, unlike in Western societies.
Conflict: Anthropologist Derek Freeman later claimed that Mead was misled by her informants and that her findings were exaggerated or incorrect.
5. The Mismeasure of Man (1981) “ Stephen Jay Gould vs. Biological Determinism
Claim: Gould criticized 19th- and 20th-century racial intelligence studies, arguing they were biased and scientifically flawed.
Conflict: Some modern studies suggest that Gould may have selectively presented data to discredit earlier scientists, leading to accusations of bias.
6. Hitlers Table Talk (1953) “ Misattributed Quotes
Claim: This book presents transcriptions of Adolf Hitlers conversations, often cited to analyze his views.
Conflict: Historians have debated the accuracy of the translations and whether the content was altered by Nazi officials or later editors.
7. Fake Theses and Disputed Research (Recent Cases)
Example: In 2020, Claudine Gay (former Harvard president) faced accusations of plagiarism in her academic work.
Example: In 2002, Jan Hendrik Schön, a physicist, was found to have falsified data in multiple published research papers.
