Dystopia, Inc: Do you want news with or without hallucinations?

The useful part

AI rarely pays for the expensively-produced professional journalism it hoovers up, says AFP Global News Director Phil Chetwynd on World News Day (Sep 28). Why pay for professional journalism when information is being delivered free in real time? Part of the answer lies in the little chatbot disclaimer which says the information in your AI overview may actually be wrong.

How it works

• First we were told we were slower than Twitter and that our global network of salaried journalists was redundant because every citizen was a journalist now.
• We all remember the euphoria of the Twitter Revolution in Iran in 2009 and the Facebook follow-up Arab Spring (2010 to 2012).
• It turned out social media algorithms were not driven by a need to search for the truth.
• Silicon Valley worked out it would make more money promoting anger and outrage.
• It also requires journalists who know the country and can turn to a reliable source network.

What to take from it

Some 260 fake Jack Ma videos spreading falsehoods about Singapore on YouTube: CNA investigation Commentary: The real political risk of AI isn't deepfakes ON THE GROUND, BEARING WITNESS Getting to the facts costs money, time, expertise and effort. Our clients use the content without hesitation because they know it has been gathered in an ethically correct way according to the transparent charters and trust principles which guide the work of all our journalists.

Example or evidence

• The obituaries of news agencies have been written on many occasions over the past two decades.
• What happens when the autocrats shut down the internet or throw your citizens in jail?
• Who continues to document the story in Iran or Egypt or Syria for the outside world?
• It also turned out bad actors could manipulate these algorithms to promote lies.

Details worth keeping

would you like your news with or without hallucinations?. Phil Chetwynd Phil Chetwynd 28 Sep 2026 05:59AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Get bite-sized news via a new cards interface.

Related coverage

• Usnn: By Stephen Zogopoulos, Founder & CEO of USNN World News.
• Blogspot: In previous essays I have sought to describe the political condition into which Britain and other Western democracies have been drifting by offering various analogies.
• Theblaze: Imagine America in 2032.
• Channelnewsasia: Explainer-Do AI companies have to disclose dangerous incidents?