Gov't officials shouldn't be sharing AI-generated fake news, Palace exec says
Sharing of fake news, including those generated by artificial intelligence (AI), should not be done by government officials, a Palace official said.
And if they ever do so, it is their responsibility to acknowledge that they shared a video that is not true or real.
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro (Betheena Unite)
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made the statement after Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa reportedly shared an IA-generated video talking about the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Ang pagsi-share ng mga katulad na ganiyan, muli, disinformation, fake news, hindi po sana nanggagaling sa mga opisyal ng pamahalaan (Sharing of disinformation, fake news, again should not come from officials of the government),” Castro said in a Palace briefing on Monday, June 16.
“Nakakaduda, mas nakakawala ng tiwala kung mismo sa matataas na opisyal nanggagaling ang mga disinformation at fake news. At mabuti po at ito ay nai-correct at napansin po ng ating mga kababayan (It harbors doubt, even more trust-eroding when disinformation and fakes news come from high-ranking officials. It is a good thing that this was corrected and noticed by our fellow citizens),” Castro said.
The Palace official stressed that it is the responsibility of the officials to be discerning in what they share to the public, especially online, because as leaders, every word they say to the people is perceived as truth by the public.
“So, ngayon na ginawa po nila, at wala tayong magagawa doon, dapat lamang po nilang i-acknowledge na ang ipinasa nila na video ay hindi totoo at hindi tunay (So, now, that they have done it, and we cannot do anything about it, it is only right for them to acknowledge that the video they shared is not true and nor real),” Castro said.
Castro also thanked those who were able to debunk the said video and those who helped to detect that it was indeed IA-generated.
“So, maraming salamat sa inyong pagtulong sa pamahalaan para ma-detect natin ang mga fake news na minsan ay mga taga-gobyerno pa ang gumagawa (So, thank you very much for your help in detecting fake news, which at times is even created by people within the government),” Castro said.