AI and Spreading Stuff: Don't Share What You Didn't Check

End-of-lesson check

15 questions · take it digitally for instant feedback at tendril.neural-forge.io/learn/quiz/end-explorers-ethics-AI-and-spreading-stuff

1. Before sharing something online, what is the single most important question to ask?

   1. Will this get a lot of likes?
   2. Is this actually true, and what harm could it cause if I'm wrong?
   3. Did my friend share it first?
   4. How long is the post?

2. Why does misinformation spread so quickly online?

   1. Because people only share true information
   2. Because platforms prioritize verified news
   3. Because shocking and emotional content gets more engagement and sharing, regardless of accuracy
   4. Because bots share everything automatically

3. You share an alarming post without checking if it's true. It turns out to be false. Who is responsible for the misinformation you spread?

   1. Only the person who originally created the post
   2. No one — it was an honest mistake
   3. You share some responsibility because you chose to share it without verifying
   4. Only the platform that allowed the post

4. A piece of content is shared so many times that most people assume it must be true. This is an example of:

   1. Democratic fact-checking
   2. Social proof bias — using popularity as a shortcut for truth even when the two aren't connected
   3. Community verification
   4. Reliable consensus-building

5. What does it mean to 'go viral' and why does it create ethical responsibility?

   1. Going viral means getting a computer virus — no ethical issue
   2. Content goes viral when it spreads rapidly to massive audiences — if that content is false or harmful, each person who shared it contributed to the damage
   3. Going viral is only possible for professional creators
   4. Viral content is always checked by platforms before reaching large audiences

6. What is the most helpful action when you realize you shared something that was false?

   1. Delete the post and hope no one noticed
   2. Post a correction to the same audience so people who saw the false version can also see the truth
   3. Leave the post up — corrections look bad
   4. Wait to see if anyone points it out before acting

7. You see a warning about a danger that seems urgent. What should you do before sharing it?

   1. Share immediately to warn as many people as possible
   2. Share it only to your closest friends
   3. Verify the claim with reliable sources before spreading urgent-sounding warnings
   4. Only share if you've personally experienced the danger

8. AI can generate realistic news articles, fake quotes, and doctored images. How does this change your responsibility when sharing?

   1. It doesn't change anything — AI content is clearly labeled
   2. It means you need to verify more carefully, because convincing fake content is easier to produce and spread than ever before
   3. It means only AI can verify AI-generated content
   4. It shifts responsibility entirely to AI companies

9. Which of the following is the best habit to build around sharing online content?

   1. Only share content from people you personally know
   2. Pause, check the source and accuracy, and only share when confident it's true
   3. Share content immediately when it feels important
   4. Always ask AI if something is true before sharing

10. What does 'information ecosystem' mean and why does your sharing behavior matter to it?

    1. It's a scientific term for how trees share information
    2. The shared information environment everyone participates in — your sharing habits make it healthier or more polluted for everyone
    3. A closed network where only experts share information
    4. A platform designed to filter information before it reaches users

11. A meme makes fun of a real person using something they didn't actually say. Sharing it:

    1. Is fine — memes are not real content
    2. Spreads a false representation of that person and can damage their reputation
    3. Is only wrong if the person is famous
    4. Is the original creator's responsibility, not yours

12. Why is the speed of social media sharing a problem for truth?

    1. Faster sharing means more storage is used
    2. Sharing happens before verification, meaning false content reaches people before corrections can catch up
    3. Social media algorithms prefer slower content
    4. Speed only affects whether content is seen — not its truthfulness

13. What is the problem with the phrase 'I'm just sharing, not endorsing'?

    1. It's grammatically incorrect
    2. Sharing actively amplifies content whether you endorse it or not — your network sees and may act on it
    3. Endorsing is always worse than sharing
    4. There is no problem — sharing without commenting is always neutral

14. Your instinct says something online seems too dramatic to be true. What should you do?

    1. Trust your instinct — skip it and don't share
    2. Share it because your followers can decide if it's true
    3. Take a screenshot for later but don't share yet
    4. Trust it because the dramatic framing must mean it's important

15. What is the most powerful single action you can take to improve the health of information online?

    1. Report every post you disagree with
    2. Verify before you share, every time, no exceptions
    3. Only follow accounts you already agree with
    4. Share corrections but not original content