Thinking Clearly and Checking Facts

The Goal

By the end of this chapter you will have a simple method to check any important information — from an AI, from WhatsApp, from the internet. You will recognise the most common AI-powered scams, understand where AI is biased, and know how to protect your own data and other people’s.

This may be the most important chapter in the book. Everything you build later depends on it.

Understand: the new problem

For a long time, bad information was often easy to spot: spelling mistakes, strange formatting, clumsy language. AI has changed that. Today anyone can produce a perfect-looking text, a professional logo, a realistic photo, even a voice that sounds like someone you know.

This means: looking professional is no longer a sign of being true. You need a better way to check.