When personalization of news and information reaches a level where people are primarily exposed to information that reinforces their own underlying perspectives, a media echo chamber has been established. Fundamentally, individuals get repeatedly exposed to information that reinforces their own opinions versus presenting a diverse universe of information. If you get to pick what news you want to hear based on being aligned with the news and feeling good about the news, opinions get reinforced versus being balanced.
It is important to realize that AI can and does play an important role in automated content generation and information dissemination. When I as a consumer of information that is being served up by an AI bot of some kind, get to “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” a news story, that process of “teaching” gets codified in one way or another in the bot. That teaching then begins a cycle where more and more “thumbs up” stories are presented, with dwindling emphasis on what may have been “thumbs down” stories. Diversity and breadth of information simply cease to be presented over time.
If personalization is a driving force in how media is delivered and digested by an audience, how will diversity and inclusion ever be a consideration if the audience isn’t interested in hearing it, seeing it or reading about it? It seems that severe fragmentation of opinions and perspectives, without even being exposed to alternatives may become an unfortunate norm in the AI society.
