In the past week, at least two people close to me unknowingly reshared fake content on Facebook. These aren’t people who fall for chain emails or post conspiracy theories—they’re thoughtful, curious, and fairly tech-savvy. But that’s the reality now: it’s getting harder to tell what’s real online, even for people who usually know better.
The reason? AI is making it fast, cheap, and easy to generate fake stories, headlines, graphics, and even entire videos. And bots are spreading it all before we even realize it.
Take a moment to watch this clip from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC:
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-debunks-weird-fake-news-a-i-slop-stories-about-her-and-msnbc-infect-social-media-243601477992
Whether or not you’re a Maddow fan is beside the point. This segment shows how AI-generated nonsense—fake news stories, bot-written posts, and junk links—are showing up in our feeds, using her name and likeness to push made-up narratives. These aren’t even deepfakes. They’re low-effort, high-impact content designed to manipulate, outrage, and spread like wildfire.
Why People Fall for It
Here’s the tricky part: fake content doesn’t look fake anymore. Logos are copied, images are AI-generated, and the writing sounds just believable enough. AI tools are trained to mimic real news formats, which means many of the visual cues we used to rely on—like headlines, layout, or even tone—can’t be trusted the same way.
Add to that how fast we all scroll, how emotionally charged most social feeds are, and how much trust we put in content shared by people we know… and you’ve got a recipe for misinformation.
What You Can Do
I’m still a believer in AI’s potential, but I’m also realistic about how it’s being used right now. If you’re on social media, you need to assume you’ll be exposed to fake content—because you already have been.
Here are a few habits that help:
- Pause before you share. If something triggers a strong reaction, that’s a good time to stop and investigate.
- Check the source. Is it a reputable outlet? Does the link go where it says it does?
- Reverse image search. Tools like Google Lens can help identify whether a photo has been altered or recycled.
- Cross-check. If no one else is reporting it, there’s probably a reason.
Fake content is cheap. Your attention—and trust—are not. Stay sharp out there.
If this post helps even one person slow down before clicking “share,” it was worth writing. Let’s keep each other honest.