Eradicating Speculation?

Am reading First Draft’s piece from May 2021 about labeling AI content.

There’s some interesting stuff in it, but this passage about speculation … well, it makes me wonder…

“Another way of looking at the question of labeling AI is what happens when you don’t label media at all. Often a lack of labels creates a kind of data deficit, ushering in speculation. Often this occurs in the comments, with viewers offering their guesses as to whether a piece of media has been manipulated with AI. It could also occur within news articles, blogs or social media posts.

We cannot eradicate speculation, but it is important to recognize the role that labels — or their absence — play in the dynamic of speculation that accompanies videos suspected of being AI-manipulated.”

The way that is written makes it seem almost like the author(s) wish we could eliminate speculation? I’m pretty sure I don’t agree with that desire.

I’ve said it elsewhere, but I *want* readers to speculate about my work. I want them to make and share these guesses. The reaction is part of the story, part of the phenomenon. This is how information consumers become strong and resilient, by exercising these muscles. I think it’s necessary and important to engage people in this way. We should not hope to “eradicate speculation,” but to understand it as a way of reaching the truth.