Assembly yesterday, artificial intelligence today - Çağrı Işıklıoğlu

Let's remember the montage images shown in rally squares in the 2023 elections. What we discussed that day was how the images were put together. Today, we are faced with a much deeper problem: Artificial intelligence can make an event that has never happened seem like it has happened.

A politician can be made to say things he does not say. A person can be placed in footage of a meeting he or she has never been to. Moreover, these contents can spread within seconds with a credibility that is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from the truth. We now have to question not only what we hear, but also what we see with our own eyes.

But the danger is not just fake images. A real recording can easily be rejected by saying, “This was produced by artificial intelligence.” We are entering a period where lies can be presented as truth and truth can be dismissed as "lies". In such an environment, it is not only accurate information that is lost; A common ground of reality on which society can talk.

SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO LEARN THE TRUTH

For a democracy to work, not everyone has to agree. But people with different views should at least have access to reliable information about what happened. When the common sense of reality is eroded, political debate turns from a race of ideas into a struggle of competing fictions.

Moreover, the obstacle to reaching the truth in Turkey is not just technological manipulation. Pressure on the independent press, publication restrictions and difficulties faced by journalism also limit citizens' opportunities to receive news. When journalism to expose false information weakens, the area in which disinformation can spread expands. Therefore, freedom of the press is not only a professional problem of journalists, but also the right of society to learn the truth.

This is exactly where the opposition needs to rethink its perspective on digital communication. Because it is no longer just about delivering the political message to more people; The main issue is to establish new channels where people can access reliable information, ask questions, test the claims they encounter together and participate in democratic processes.

DIGITAL ORGANIZATION AND POLITICS

Digital organization should not be seen only as the growth of social media accounts, the introduction of hashtags or watching a video millions of times. These are the means of communication; not the organization itself. Digital organization gains meaning to the extent that it can transform the citizen from being a mere recipient of the message into an active participant in public life.

Brazil's 2022 presidential election was one example of how digital channels can mobilize political participation. Content was shared around Lula's campaign through WhatsApp groups and digital volunteer networks, and supporters were mobilized. Of course, it would not be right to attribute an election victory to a single digital network. However, this experience showed how online communication can turn into organized participation when combined with work in the field.

The lesson for Türkiye should not be to establish larger propaganda networks. On the contrary, we must create more trustworthy and more participatory digital public spaces. Platforms where local problems can be followed, verification studies, open channels where public decisions are monitored in an understandable manner, and mechanisms where citizens can directly contribute may be the beginning of this.

IF THE TRUTH IS LOST...

While preparing for the upcoming elections, fast, transparent and evidence-based response mechanisms should be established against misleading content produced by artificial intelligence. However, while doing this, we cannot defend an order in which a single political power decides who will tell the truth. The guarantee of truth is not censorship; independent journalism, pluralism, verification culture and critical thinking.

Artificial intelligence will continue to change our lives. The answer of politics cannot only be to adapt to new technologies. We have to reproduce social trust and transform people from passive spectators into citizens who access information together.

Yesterday, reality was being distorted with montage images. Today, reality itself is being brought into question with artificial intelligence. Perhaps our biggest challenge tomorrow will be to tell each other what is real again.

Because where truth is lost, not only knowledge but also democracy is lost.

CAĞRI IŞIKLIOĞLU

NEW PARTY IZMIR PROVINCIAL VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM PRESIDENT