Courtney Radsch reports on the political and economic impact of synthetic media and the stultifying consequences of our increasingly low-quality, high-fat media diet. Courtney and Kimberly discuss the range of journalistic endeavors; synthetic media’s entrée on the scene; disinformation vs. propaganda; competing with AI in the marketplace of ideas; content verification, labeling and trust; how synthetic media depends on and undermines journalism; information as a social, political and economic concern; embedded AI ideologies; equating regulation with censorship; information warfare; cognitive liberty in an age of corporate dominance; infrastructure and intent; the need for bright line protections, pluralism and independent oversight.Dr. Courtney Radsch, PhD is the Director of the Center for Media and Digital Governance (formerly CJL) and a non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. An award-winning journalist, scholar, diplomat, and human rights advocate, Courtney was recently named one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics.Related Resources:Same Gatekeepers, New Tollbooths: Mapping the AI Content Licensing Market (CMDG Research Report)The Algorithm Loses Its Immunity (Article)The Pentagon Wants Its Panopticon (Article)The Battle for Cognitive Liberty in the Age of Corporate AI (Tech Policy Press)A transcript of this episode is here.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.