NewsBreak is without doubt one of the most downloaded information apps within the U.S. with greater than 50 million month-to-month customers. Nevertheless, in keeping with a Reuters report, the corporate is spreading misinformation via synthetic intelligence (AI)-generated content material. The report additionally highlights that NewsBreak has roots in China, with its know-how being maintained in Beijing and receiving funding from a Chinese language firm that allegedly works for the nation’s army.
NewsBreak app (Google Play) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How NewsBreak is misusing AI
The Reuters report highlighted many cases the place NewsBreak used AI to generate information that by no means really occurred. For example, final Christmas Eve, it revealed an alarming piece a few small-town capturing. It was headlined “Christmas Day tragedy strikes Bridgeton, New Jersey, amid rising gun violence in small cities.”
Nevertheless, no such incident occurred. The Bridgeton, New Jersey police division posted an announcement on Fb on Dec. 27 dismissing the article – produced utilizing AI know-how – as “totally false.”
NewsBreak doesn’t write all of its articles. The corporate is a distributor that publishes licensed content material from shops like Reuters, Fox, CNN and AP. A few of its articles are additionally sourced utilizing data obtainable on the web and thru paraphrasing press releases.
A person studying the information on his pill (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How NewsBreak’s automated content material disrupted native communities
In line with a Reuters investigation, there have been a minimum of 40 cases since 2021 the place NewsBreak’s use of AI instruments has affected communities. The app has revealed faulty tales, created 10 tales from native information websites beneath fictitious bylines and lifted content material from its opponents. Two area people packages helping deprived individuals had been impacted by faulty tales produced by NewsBreak’s AI.
This 12 months, in January, February and March, a Colorado-based meals financial institution, Meals to Energy, needed to flip individuals away as a result of NewsBreak said incorrect instances for meals distributions. The charity complained to NewsBreak in a Jan. 30 e mail to the corporate’s basic buyer help deal with however acquired no response. Harvest912, a charity in Erie, Pennsylvania, reported the same incident.
Norm Pearlstine, former Government Editor on the Wall Road Journal and the Los Angeles Occasions, labored as a guide for NewsBreak. He advised Reuters that the corporate additionally tried to create pretend accounts to entry content material that publishers had put behind paywalls.
Information website on laptop computer (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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NewsBreak’s China connection
NewsBreak advertises itself as a U.S.-based and U.S.-invested startup, however the firm has its roots in China. It was based in 2015 by Jeff Zheng, who presently serves because the CEO of NewsBreak. Zheng can be the founding father of the Chinese language information aggregation app Yidian. The truth is, the 2 firms share a U.S. patent, registered in 2015, for an “Curiosity Engine” algorithm, which recommends information content material based mostly on a person’s pursuits and placement.
Till 2019, NewsBreak was a subsidiary of Yidian, and the Chinese language information aggregation firm referred to NewsBreak as its U.S. model till 2021, in keeping with the Wire China. Plus, one in every of NewsBreak’s major backers is Beijing-based IDG Capital, which is on a listing of dozens of Chinese language firms the Pentagon alleges are working with the Chinese language army. You will need to word that there’s no proof that NewsBreak censored or produced information favorable to the Chinese language authorities.
We reached out to NewsBreak for touch upon this text and haven’t heard again as of our deadline.
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4 methods to guard your self from misinformation
The rising use of AI means the web is now more durable than ever to navigate. Comply with these steps to guard your self from misinformation.
1) Confirm sources: Examine the credibility of the supply. Search for information from respected organizations with a monitor document of accuracy and accountability. Confirm the knowledge throughout a number of trusted sources earlier than believing or sharing it.
2) Examine the creator: Examine the creator of the content material. Guarantee they’re credible and have the required experience or background. Be cautious of articles with out creator bylines.
3) Use fact-checking instruments: Use fact-checking web sites and instruments like Snopes, FactCheck.org or the Worldwide Reality-Checking Community to confirm doubtful claims. These sources may also help you identify the accuracy of the knowledge.
4) Be skeptical of social media: Take data on social media with a grain of salt. Platforms like Fb, X and Instagram will be breeding grounds for misinformation. Confirm the knowledge from dependable sources earlier than sharing or believing it. Be notably cautious of viral content material and think about the potential biases of these sharing it.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
The web has at all times been a breeding floor for misinformation, however now that information media publications have began utilizing AI to generate content material, misinformation is at its peak. The NewsBreak incident is without doubt one of the many who have come to gentle in recent times, and it’s solely a sign of what we’re about to witness. It’s essential that you just take your dose of reports from dependable sources. You possibly can at all times belief me for tech-related information, however for different content material, be sure to confirm the sources.
As we navigate the digital age with AI, what duties do platforms like NewsBreak have in combating the unfold of misinformation? Tell us by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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