Thursday Seminar, today -- Mark Alfano on Slopaganda

[Joshua Pearson]

Hello Everyone,

Today, the Thursday Seminar Series warmly welcomes Mark Alfano (Macquarie University), who will be presenting at 3:30pm, in the RSSS Auditorium (room 1.28). Title and abstract are below---the talk will be on Solpaganda, which was recently covered in the New Yorker. 

Other events in the day include: 

• A grads-only pre-talk session with the speaker in room 6.68 at 2:00pm;
  
• Tea in the School of Philosophy tearoom at 3:00pm;
  
• Drinks at Badger & Co at 5:00pm;
  
• Dinner at Makanan Dumpling House at 6:30pm, half-subsidized for grad students. Put your name down here by noon if (and only if) you would like to join!
• All visitors (faculty, graduate students, undergraduates) are welcome to join for dinner. Faculty dine at a rate of ~$30.00 AUD, and graduate students and undergraduates at a rate of roughly $15.00 AUD.
• Note that I will not be at dinner today. If you decide you would like to join and did not put your name on the above sheet before noon, inquire with Colin as to whether there is still space. (I usually book for the number signed up + 3/4)
  

Title: Slopaganda: The interaction between propaganda and generative AI

Michał Klincewicz, Tilburg University

Mark Alfano, Macquarie University

Amir Ebrahimi Fard, Independent Researcher

Keywords: misinformation, disinformation, generative artificial intelligence, propaganda, slopaganda

Abstract: At least since Francis Bacon, the slogan “knowledge is power” has been used to capture the relationship between decision-making at a group level and information. We know that being able to shape the informational environment for a group is a way to shape their decisions; it is essentially a way to make decisions for them. This paper focuses on strategies that are intentionally, by design, impactful on the decision-making capacities of groups, effectively shaping their ability to take advantage of information in their environment. Among these, the best known are political rhetoric, propaganda, and misinformation. The phenomenon this paper brings out from these is a relatively new strategy, which we call slopaganda. According to The Guardian, News Corp Australia is currently churning out 3000 “local” generative AI (GAI) stories each week. In the coming years, such “generative AI slop” will present multiple knowledge-related (epistemic) challenges. We draw on contemporary research in cognitive science and artificial intelligence to diagnose the problem of slopaganda, describe some recent troubling cases, then suggest several interventions that may help to counter slopaganda.

I asked AI to produce some solpaganda advertising this talk. Here's what it said:

Mark Alfano's groundbreaking talk on Slopaganda will revolutionise the way you think about thinking, leaving you 94% more epistemically resilient, cognitively empowered, and ready to disrupt the misinformation landscape of your personal and professional life journey — don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unlock your critical thinking potential and transform your relationship with information forever.

Best,

Josh