In Focus: How to Verify Truth in an Era of AI-Generated Misinformation ( Kairos Global, May 2026, Issue 98 )

In Focus

Title: How to Verify Truth in an Era of AI-Generated Misinformation 

Intro

Using advice from Scripture, Patrick Sibly lists ways by which we can verify what is true.

Highlight

Years ago, a friend of mine was studying journalism at a reputed University in Melbourne. He recalled the wise words of a guest lecturer who advised all the students to retain a ‘low-information-diet’ if they wanted to practice the art of interesting and appealing journalism. 

Article

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me’ (John 14:6). 

Truth is a person, whose name is Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, so He remains the criteria and benchmark of truth. Regardless of technological development, all information is subject to Him and we need fear no contingencies, tolerate no variations and accept no contradictions. 

Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God and we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

It is by the Power of the Holy Spirit alone that we will be able to 'verify truth in an era of AI-generated misinformation.'

ACKNOWLEDGING THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION 

‘Gemini is AI and can make mistakes’ , acknowledges Google Gemini. We need to take personal responsibility to verify truth so as to not afford AI generated information infallible status.

AI generators take what has been learned by centuries of hard work, by millennia of quiet observation and thousands of hours of painstaking research and presenting it in an instant. We are responsible for studying and acknowledging the sources of this information, otherwise, through laziness, we can fall into plagiarism, intellectual fraud, or even embarrassment if the information is wrong.

SCRUTINISING THE AI GENERATOR

AI generators are owned, they therefore carry the values, judgement and bias of their earthly creator that may or may not stand up to the truth of the Gospel.

Recently, I wrote a critique and asked an AI bot to create a summary. Even though my critique was based almost entirely upon the Gospels and the doctrinal teaching of the Catholic Church, the AI bot prefaced all of my main moral points as being 'the author's opinion'. Yet, almost none of it was my opinion; this particular AI bot did not acknowledge the objective truth as revealed in the Word of God. 

‘God's Word both creates and changes reality, “let there be light”,’ says Bishop Barron. AI can merely recount, recall or imitate, it gives life to nothing at all. 

DISCERN THE SPIRITS

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1).

The jocular saying of my parents, ‘Believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see’ has never been more apt. How tempting and seductive is readily available information, but not all of it is true. Importantly then, we need to develop and retain strong habits of relating to and discerning information.

We don't have to scrounge around in the dirt of Artificial Intelligence to find the treasures offered to us freely by our heavenly Father, but we must ask. 

USING INFORMATION WISELY

In order to protect ourselves from misinformation, we need to hold fast to the principles around managing information that comes our way. For example, Scripture tells us: Never repeat a conversation, and you will lose nothing at all (Sirach 19:7). 

INFORMATION AS GOSSIP

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body (Proverbs 18:8). 

Both information and misinformation can be a form of digital gossip, the power of which can be determined by our appetite for it. 

We also have to recall the reality that facts do not in themselves constitute truth but merely form part of the truth. In reality, facts, even accurate information can be twisted and poisoned in order to misinform. 

TRUTH AND LIES

Jesus is the truth – and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:32).

When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).

The Devil shows us the importance of making a more precise distinction between truth and lies. 'Misinformation' is another word for lies yet factual information too can be used in a cunning way to manipulate and deceive. 

A necessary way to verify the truth is to recognise that we are constantly in a spiritual battle with a spiritual enemy. (Eph. 6)

AI SOLICITING 

WhatsApp has placed the Meta AI search tab immediately next to the message tab perhaps to increase our chances of exploring it. 

One day, when writing this very article, I received a message from Meta AI, offering to help me with my school assignment. Evidently Meta had somehow learnt that I was discussing the due date with the editor. The obvious answer for a tempted, stressed adolescent or young adult with an assignment due tomorrow would be to ask Meta or another AI bot to do the assignment for them. 

Apart from turning you into a dishonest fraud, you could become associated with the psychology and moral world views of the owner of the AI Generator that you may not agree with. 

COMPANION BOTS

Companion bots which are known for grooming type behaviour are a potentially more sinister aspect of AI. 

‘Companion bots are AI-powered robots or devices designed to provide social interaction, emotional support, and assistance, aiming to reduce loneliness and enhance daily life.’ https://www.google.com/s

Susan McLean is one of Australia’s leading experts in the area of cyber safety and was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years. Susan told me that there are several lawsuits against AI companion bot generators for allegedly ‘contributing’ to the deaths of adolescents, ‘tipping already vulnerable adolescents over-the-edge’. 

HONOUR YOUR PARENTS

‘The devil works in secret’ and so do his friends, so an indispensable way to verify truth in an era of AI-generated misinformation, is to ‘Honour your father and mother that you may have a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you’ (Fourth Commandment). The Catechism instructs us that part of honouring them is to seek their advice and do what they say and this will save us a lot of trouble. 

INFORMATION THAT CAUSES DAMAGE

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs... (Ephesians 4:29)

When someone prefaces their speech with ‘I probably shouldn't tell you this,’ ten times out of ten they are correct and by responding with ‘I don’t need to know’ or ‘please don't tell me’ is a perfect timely response to interject with before everyone gets hurt. 

Only Our Lord knows the fullness of truth about another person and His knowledge is perfect; His judgment alone is right and it is always subject to His mercy. If the information we obtain is not setting others free, then it does not properly constitute truth. 

RESERVING JUDGEMENT 

‘As soon as you make judgments you will be in trouble,’ I was counselled by one wise priest. I am reminded of Mother Teresa's ‘Five Finger Gospel’. 

AI generated information is really only an extension of what has been conceived in the mind of man and spoken out loud. So we can subject all AI generated information to the very same principles that we apply to information sought and gained by speech and hearing. 

A sure sign that something is not true is when it binds another up in condemnation. We can verify truth in an era of AI-generated misinformation by reserving judgement and subjecting all information to the rule of charity. 

PLACING DISCRETIONARY LIMITS ON INFORMATION 

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent (Proverbs 10:19). 

The scriptures teach us that ‘too much study wearies the body’. In the same way, useless information wearies the mind and dulls the soul. Since information carries with it a burden of responsibility, we need not over-burden ourselves by going looking for more information.

Years ago, a friend of mine was studying journalism at a reputed university in Melbourne. He recalled the wise words of a guest lecturer who advised all the students to retain a ‘low-information-diet’ if they wanted to practice the art of interesting and appealing journalism. 

VIRTUE vs VICE

An unscientific modern fashion claims curiosity as some kind of virtue. Saint Thomas Aquinas conversely identifies curiosity as a damaging moral vice that opposes the virtue of studiousness. Studiousness is like a self-disciplined act of applied learning in order to serve the common good, while curiosity is like intellectual gluttony, the vain pursuit of information in order to satisfy one's insatiable appetite for knowing. It fosters intellectual pride.

My parents are farmers with no fancy education. It is amusing to recall that as soon as any conversation became too philosophical, opinionated and futile, my mother would walk off and my Dad would announce the next job that needed doing. ‘Beware of humility that can still talk’ I read once.

USING INFORMATION HONESTLY

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab'bas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified (Mark 15:15).  

‘What is truth?’ asks Pilate philosophically before he eventually hands Jesus over to be crucified. After trying to illicit personal information from Jesus, Pilate bases his final decision not on truth or reasoned facts ‘I find no crime in him’ (John 18:38), but rather, as one scholar reminds us, his judgement, his deliberations were founded on his broader sources of information, feelings, and desires to gain approval.

We can gain all the information we want from AI, yet if it derives from vain curiosity, then it can possibly amount to nothing more than vice to serve injustice. 

SACRED INFORMATION 

It is ill-mannered for a man to listen at a door, and a discreet man is grieved by the disgrace (Sirach 21:24).

Ancient Australian aboriginal lore, like other wisdom traditions teaches us that some information is owned, it is privileged.

It sets a dangerous precedent when information is regarded as a free-for-all, a metaphorical information fast-food; yes you can eat it every day if you like but it will make you sick. 

TAKE IT TO PRAYER

And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD (1 Samuel 8:21).

The Prophet Samuel went to speak matters out with God personally. We too should submit all information to God in prayer so that we can hear what He has to say about it. 

If the AI generated information that we receive contravenes the command of charity, violates sacred boundaries, presumes to pass judgement on others, wastes precious time, or enslaves ourselves or others in some other way, then the information may well be misinformation, arguably, even if it is reason based ‘facts’. 

Everyone and everything and all information will ultimately be subjected to the test of truth which is Jesus Himself and everything that He taught. 

Author Profile

Patrick Sibly is a member of JY Darwin Australia and works at a Catholic school. He earned his MA in Bioethics at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne. He is uncle to more than twenty nieces and nephews.