Every day, we are bombarded with information telling us what is safe, what is healthy, what is acceptable, what will make us wealthy, what will make us sick, what will make us beautiful, and the list goes on.
Once, much of this information came through relatively obvious ways such as TV ads, newspapers, magazines, billboards, mailbox flyers, or books and websites we deliberately searched for. Then came social media, and now, information finds us.
Social media and websites monitor what we look at, what we search for, and our devices monitor where we are, who we interact with. They use this to try and determine what might capture our attention. We don't necessarily ask for the information anymore. It simply appears in front of us.
And now, with AI rapidly changing how information is created and shared, perhaps we need to ask an even more important question, ‘how much of what we see is real, credible, accurate or even relevant to us?’
"Go to a reputable professional," I hear some of you saying. Fair point.
But that raises another question; How often do we challenge the information we receive, even when it comes from a professional? I once went to a doctor after falling off a bike. During the consultation, the doctor asked me: "Should we get you an X-ray?", even though I had obvious signs of injury, pain and loss of movement. He asked me, even though he was the professional.
More recently, I was discussing a health and safety issue with a professional and asked a simple question to check if my reasoning was on the correct path. The response was: "Let's ask Copilot." If I wanted an AI answer, I wouldn’t have consulted another H&S professional.
Technology can be incredibly useful and has made our lives simpler in many ways. AI can help us find or create information and challenge our thinking. But it shouldn’t replace thinking.
A professional's value isn't simply their ability to access information. It is their ability to understand the person, the circumstances and the context of the situation, as well as the information, and then apply knowledge, experience and professional judgement to the situation in front of them, something AI or generic information can’t do.
The same applies to all of us. Having information or knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean you have an understanding.
Perhaps the real skill we need to master in an age of information overload isn't finding more information. We need to stop, look at the information presented to us and then question it, test it, understand the context and decide whether it actually makes sense.
Because the next time something appears on your screen telling you what is safe, healthy, right or wrong, perhaps don't immediately ask "Is this true?"
Challenge it and ask yourself, “how do I know it is true, relevant and appropriate for this situation and for me?"