Science communication and storytelling relies on trust in the authenticity and integrity of the underlying data, whether it’s space images or historical documents. In this study, our members Alexander Kaurov and Ekaterina Khramtsova explore how decentralization technology can be used to achieve it.
What will happen to public trust in journalistic reporting and academic research in the age of generative AI? One dystopian possibility is that the perceived integrity of historical data and documents will be compromised due to the ease of altering them with AI, coupled with declining and increasingly politically polarized trust in institutions responsible for preservation. We have already observed distrust in the authenticity of moon landing photos and videos as well as the questioning of politicians’ birth certificates. With AI, this mistrust could be supercharged. This erosion of trust in fact-based research and reporting ultimately impacts informed democracy in the U.S. In our study, we explore the feasibility of constructing a decentralized system akin to “checks and balances” but for data and documents, potentially based on blockchain, that would distribute document storage across various institutions. Our findings demonstrate that: 🤝 It is feasible to create a collaborative data and document repository among U.S. institutions in the public and private sectors that would collectively achieve trust across a wide spectrum of the population. 📉 To make it robust to the fluctuations of trust over time and reach all sectors of society, the collaboration must be very diverse. For instance, involving the U.S. military and religious institutions in storing data produced by Congress could be essential to enhance overall public trust. 📊 Additional targeted surveys and technology feasibility studies are essential to further develop decentralization concept as a solution to public trust in the integrity of historical data and documents. Some degree of urgency is warranted, given the ongoing rapid evolution of generative AI. With this study, we hope to initiate concerted efforts across disciplines to ensure the reliable and trustworthy preservation of our digital heritage. ➡️ Read the full pre-print of our study here: https://lnkd.in/g6t67pR4 This work was done in collaboration with Ekaterina Khramtsova (Didactic.AI at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science) and Oreskes Naomi (History of Science Professor at Harvard University and Senior Fellow at Berggruen Institute). #Decentralization #PublicTrust #AIRisks #Democracy #Blockchain #AcademicResearch #Journalism #InformedDemocracy #DataIntegrity