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.