[Elaris]

This got me thinking. Sometimes it feels like a story doesn’t have to be true as long as it feels right, people believe it. And if it spreads fast and sounds good, it becomes “truth” for many. That’s kind of scary. Now that anyone can easily make something look real and convincing, it’s harder to tell what’s real anymore. Maybe the best thing we can do is slow down a bit, ask more questions, and not trust something just because it fits what we already believe.

[alpaca128]

True, people tend to believe things more if they are stated more confidently. That's basically how many things from scams to conspiracy theories and even cults work. Now with LLMs you have machines that can produce thousands of words per hour in flawless grammar and sounding as sophisticated and confident as you want.

The famous quote "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes" is older than the internet, so this asymmetry was already bad enough back then and whoever coined the quote couldn't have imagined how much farther it would shift.