The AI Paradox

The tech industry has sold us a myth: that artificial intelligence is a dazzling, inevitable force that will solve human problems. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa punctures that illusion, underlining the urgent need for a robust debate on AI's role in our society

- By Syrah Vivien Inocencio

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the buzzword of our time. It promises efficiency, innovation and a future shaped by data-driven brilliance. Yet, as Maria Ressa made crystal clear during the Decoding AI Myths masterclass in Rappler's headquarters, the reality is far less utopian, even as it also holds the potential to revolutionise our world for the better.

"Artificial intelligence is literally a marketing term," Ressa said, cutting through the hype and setting the tone for an afternoon exploring the dangers and the possibilities AI presents for society, media and journalism.

AI, the Rappler CEO insists, is neither "artificial" nor "intelligent." At its core is a system built on surveillance capitalism, extracting profit from our behaviours and data. It is a system capable of amplifying lies, spreading disinformation and destabilising democracy itself.

The session began with a story of survival that was hard-earned. Under the Duterte administration, Rappler nearly collapsed after losing half its advertising revenue in just four months, reportedly due to government pressure on advertisers. "The way we found out about information warfare, the way we were trying to figure out how to fight back, was exactly... this," Ressa said, introducing The Nerve, Rappler's data forensics company. What started as a survival mechanism has become a model for understanding how information, as well as disinformation, spreads in society.

The masterclass, part of Rappler's Decoded series, brought together professionals from academia, corporations and civil society to grapple with one of the century's defining forces. While data scientists dug into technical details, Ressa zoomed out to ask bigger questions: Who decides what we see? Who writes the rules? And what happens when those answers are left to unaccountable systems?

THE DARK SIDE