In Denmark, most young people use Google to search for information, as the platform – according to young people themselves – is always at their fingertips. Young people use the first two or three results. Google is young people’s “best information friend”. So how does Google manage this enormous trust from young learners?
Google sorts, prioritises and edits the content that young people encounter. Young people don’t know what algorithms are behind the results they are presented with and use. We know that Google doesn’t prioritise information from national encyclopedias.
Google blocks access to trustworthy news for some students in Denmark as part of Google’s blocking experiment. This means that young people have no access to credible news content via Google. Google’s experiment with Danes is now in its third month.
Platforms like Google still need to address the trust we – young and old – place in the company. They still need to take responsibility for ensuring that we as a population have access to credible knowledge.
The technology is in the hands of a few powerful companies that are not themselves democratic or have an interest in democracy. Unlike traditional media, tech is not subject to media law. And human dignity, diversity and democracy seem not to be objectives.
Mis- and disinformation is an ever-growing problem, and AI plays a role. Search engines and AI-generated summaries make it difficult to understand the editorial and commercial priorities of tech companies. It becomes more difficult to find out which sources have been used. AI does not make it any easier to distinguish between true and false, which is why we risk all information being perceived as untrustworthy, eroding trust in institutions and undermining education.
Today calls for a conversation about how AI serves humanity and not the other way round. How we continue to educate our children in critical thinking and media literacy and ensure that we – in the digital society – are well informed and enlightened. Investing in youth is not just an investment in education – it is an investment in democracy, equality, and the collective progress of our community. We look forward to contributing to the conversation.