Why We Keep Falling for AI Lies

THE FAKE NEWS FAST LANE

- BY RIHAAB MOWLANA

It began with a single photo. A doctored image of Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala surfaced online last week. By the time the Ministry denied it and the CID announced a probe, the picture had already taken on a life of its own. WhatsApp groups buzzed with speculation, timelines filled with commentary, and the fake had travelled further than the fact.

This is not unusual. In Sri Lanka, as elsewhere, misinformation has found its most fertile ground on social media. A manipulated image of a protest, a misleading headline about a celebrity, even a rumour of school closures spreads faster than any official correction. The problem is no longer just the content itself, but the way we consume it. With Al, the issue is exacerbated.

Why we believe before we check

There's a reason fake news is so persuasive. It plays to what we already suspect. If you mistrust a politician, a fabricated photo confirms your bias. If you are anxious about safety, a false story about crime validates your fears. And if a headline makes you laugh or gasp, the temptation to be the first to share it often overrides the instinct to verify it.

Psychologists call this confirmation bias. Social media calls it "engagement." Platforms reward the content that provokes the strongest reactions, like outrage, amusement, and fear, while accuracy struggles to catch up. The result is a culture where misinformation isn't just a glitch in the system, but a feature of how the system works.

Not Just Our Problem