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2024-09-05 22:18:37 UTC
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https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/05/bill-gates-online-misinformation-is-top-unsolvable-problem-for-young-people.html
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s
young people: ‘The harm is done’
Published Thu, Sep 5 20249:15 AM EDT
thumbnail
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today's
young people
1:39
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s
young people
Bill Gates spends a lot of his time and money trying to help solve some
of the world’s biggest problems — from climate change to poverty. One
major problem has even him stumped.
“Misinformation is the one where I, a little bit, had to punt and say,
‘OK, we’ve handed this problem to the younger generation,’” Gates tells
CNBC Make It.
Misinformation is becoming more common, as technological advances like
artificial general intelligence chatbots make it easier to generate and
spread falsehoods quickly. AI-generated misinformation was named as the
top global risk of the next two years in a World Economic Forum survey
in January. Fifty-five percent of Americans said the U.S. government and
tech companies should act to restrict false information online, in a
2023 survey by the Pew Research Center.
Gates, the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, is likely more
familiar with misinformation than he’d care to be. But a conversation
with his daughter Phoebe further opened his eyes on the issue’s
severity, he says.
“Hearing my daughter talk about how she’d been harassed online, and how
her friends experienced that quite a bit, brought that into focus in a
way that I hadn’t thought about before,” says Gates.
Last year, Phoebe Gates spoke out about what she called “the
misconceptions and conspiracy theories” about her family and her own
relationships in an interview with The Information, including racist
online commentary about one of her ex-boyfriends, who is Black.
Gates, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder, is set to tackle the topic
in an upcoming five-part Netflix docuseries called “What’s Next? The
Future With Bill Gates,” due to premiere on September 18. In an advance
screening of the series provided to Make It, Gates tells his daughter he
feels bad for not having a handy solution to slow the spread of
misinformation.
Other issues, like eradicating diseases or promoting cleaner energy,
still aren’t easy to solve — but they have clearer paths to solutions,
he tells Make It.
Gates is still overcoming his ‘naivete’
When Gates started Microsoft, he thought most people would want to use
home computers — and later the internet — for purely productive and
responsible purposes, he says. When he began working on the docuseries,
he still harbored some of “my naivete that when we made information
available, that people would want correct information,” he adds.
Instead, speaking with misinformation experts while filming helped Gates
realize: He too shares the human impulse to seek out information that
confirms previously held beliefs.
“Even I will wallow,” he says. “Let’s say there’s a politician I don’t
like, and there’s some article online criticizing him a little bit. I’m
like, ‘Oh, that’s such a good critique [and] I enjoyed reading it, even
if it was exaggerated.’”
Gates says he isn’t entirely sure how to stop the spread of
misinformation. He’s sensitive to the counter-argument that restricting
any type of information online could harm the right of free speech, yet
agrees that some kinds of rules need to be established, he says. By
whom, he’s not totally sure, he adds.
Common tactics to tamp down misinformation and disinformation include
internet literacy programs and content moderation by social media
platforms. Some tech companies have pulled back on those costly efforts,
which only scratch the surface of the problem, according to researchers
who study disinformation.
Google executive Beth Goldberg told Make It last year that technology
could help, with researchers developing AI tools to identify
misinformation and toxic speech online. But the nature of a technology
arms race — someone creates a solution, someone else figures out how to
get around it — means “it won’t be a perfect success,” Gates wrote in a
blog post last year.
The problem isn’t going away, either: It’s already far too easy for
false information to spread to the billions of people actively using the
internet, says Gates.
“And, if you catch it a day later, the harm is done,” he says.
Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC’s new online
course. We’ll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce
your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and
successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off,
now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for
success at work, with money and in life.
I was laid off from Meta — now my food tour company in NYC brings in
$145K a year
8:08
I was laid off from Meta—now my food tour company brings in about $145K
a year
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Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s
young people
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/05/bill-gates-online-misinformation-is-top-unsolvable-problem-for-young-people.html
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s
young people: ‘The harm is done’
Published Thu, Sep 5 20249:15 AM EDT
thumbnail
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today's
young people
1:39
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s
young people
Bill Gates spends a lot of his time and money trying to help solve some
of the world’s biggest problems — from climate change to poverty. One
major problem has even him stumped.
“Misinformation is the one where I, a little bit, had to punt and say,
‘OK, we’ve handed this problem to the younger generation,’” Gates tells
CNBC Make It.
Misinformation is becoming more common, as technological advances like
artificial general intelligence chatbots make it easier to generate and
spread falsehoods quickly. AI-generated misinformation was named as the
top global risk of the next two years in a World Economic Forum survey
in January. Fifty-five percent of Americans said the U.S. government and
tech companies should act to restrict false information online, in a
2023 survey by the Pew Research Center.
Gates, the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, is likely more
familiar with misinformation than he’d care to be. But a conversation
with his daughter Phoebe further opened his eyes on the issue’s
severity, he says.
“Hearing my daughter talk about how she’d been harassed online, and how
her friends experienced that quite a bit, brought that into focus in a
way that I hadn’t thought about before,” says Gates.
Last year, Phoebe Gates spoke out about what she called “the
misconceptions and conspiracy theories” about her family and her own
relationships in an interview with The Information, including racist
online commentary about one of her ex-boyfriends, who is Black.
Gates, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder, is set to tackle the topic
in an upcoming five-part Netflix docuseries called “What’s Next? The
Future With Bill Gates,” due to premiere on September 18. In an advance
screening of the series provided to Make It, Gates tells his daughter he
feels bad for not having a handy solution to slow the spread of
misinformation.
Other issues, like eradicating diseases or promoting cleaner energy,
still aren’t easy to solve — but they have clearer paths to solutions,
he tells Make It.
Gates is still overcoming his ‘naivete’
When Gates started Microsoft, he thought most people would want to use
home computers — and later the internet — for purely productive and
responsible purposes, he says. When he began working on the docuseries,
he still harbored some of “my naivete that when we made information
available, that people would want correct information,” he adds.
Instead, speaking with misinformation experts while filming helped Gates
realize: He too shares the human impulse to seek out information that
confirms previously held beliefs.
“Even I will wallow,” he says. “Let’s say there’s a politician I don’t
like, and there’s some article online criticizing him a little bit. I’m
like, ‘Oh, that’s such a good critique [and] I enjoyed reading it, even
if it was exaggerated.’”
Gates says he isn’t entirely sure how to stop the spread of
misinformation. He’s sensitive to the counter-argument that restricting
any type of information online could harm the right of free speech, yet
agrees that some kinds of rules need to be established, he says. By
whom, he’s not totally sure, he adds.
Common tactics to tamp down misinformation and disinformation include
internet literacy programs and content moderation by social media
platforms. Some tech companies have pulled back on those costly efforts,
which only scratch the surface of the problem, according to researchers
who study disinformation.
Google executive Beth Goldberg told Make It last year that technology
could help, with researchers developing AI tools to identify
misinformation and toxic speech online. But the nature of a technology
arms race — someone creates a solution, someone else figures out how to
get around it — means “it won’t be a perfect success,” Gates wrote in a
blog post last year.
The problem isn’t going away, either: It’s already far too easy for
false information to spread to the billions of people actively using the
internet, says Gates.
“And, if you catch it a day later, the harm is done,” he says.
Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC’s new online
course. We’ll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce
your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and
successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off,
now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for
success at work, with money and in life.
I was laid off from Meta — now my food tour company in NYC brings in
$145K a year
8:08
I was laid off from Meta—now my food tour company brings in about $145K
a year
Trending Now
I reached financial freedom at the age of 38: Here are 4 money
principles I live by
Put these 3 skills on your resume if you’re looking for remote work
Don’t use 2 toxic words at work, says executive coach: They’ll ‘just
hold you back’
Bill Gates says this is the No. 1 unsolvable problem facing today’s
young people