Concerns about visual information that has been manipulated or are misleading are increasingly growing, of course considering the rapid progress of generative artificial intelligence. In fact, this year’s World Economic Forum named the risk of misinformation and disinformation as the world’s biggest short-term threat, above armed conflict and natural disasters.
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT?
There are more than 3 billion photos shared online every day. Of course, we cannot possibly confirm their authenticity one by one.
However, for important photos, we should take a moment to try to think critically and ask the following questions, if we suspect the authenticity of a photo.
First, who made or distributed the photo? This can give us a clue about the purpose of editing or distributing the photo, if it is edited.
Second, is there any proof? Can we find the original photo using an image search engine?
Third, check with trusted sources, such as AAP FactCheck or AFP Fact Check to find out comments regarding the photo.
This opinion piece was written by TJ Thomson, senior lecturer in Visual Communications & Digital Media at RMIT University. This opinion piece was first published on The Conversation.
