Audrey Tang: Protecting young people with AI tags and collaboration mechanisms, building a cognitive warfare defense protective umbrella

Tan Fuk recently held an in-depth conversation with Japanese scholar Yoichi Ochiai on the “WEEKY OCHIAI” program. The front minister of Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Development discussed the perception threats that Fog of War (war fog) in the digital era poses to the general public. Both sides delved deeply into issues such as the information chaos caused by artificial intelligence, algorithmic polarization, and how to help teenagers resolve disagreements.

Social media algorithms under the fog of war are intensifying social polarization

At the start of the conversation, Tan Fuk pointed out that modern society is facing the widespread threat of “fog of war,” a condition marked by highly fractured and chaotic information. This phenomenon stems from social media’s recommendation engine, whose original intent is to maximize user engagement; however, in real-world operation, algorithms often tend to promote emotionally charged content that stokes anger and confrontation. Tan Fuk introduced the concept of “polarization per minute” (ppm) to quantify this effect, explaining that when misinformation and divisive rhetoric spread rapidly before people can clarify them, the public will struggle to identify real information. By manipulating public opinion to directly interfere with human judgment, this environment fuels Cognitive Warfare (cognitive warfare). Individuals are highly likely to fall into algorithm-constructed echo chambers, thereby deepening the sense of collective distrust in society.

How can AI help rescue teenagers?

Regarding the widespread adoption of AI tools, the discussion mentioned concerns that some teenagers face legal sanctions due to misusing technology for scams. Tan Fuk believes that punishment alone is not the endpoint of education; society should shift toward preventive guidance. In the AI age, education should no longer focus on rule-logic or practical skills that machines can easily replace, but rather on cultivating unique virtues that machines cannot replicate.

Tan Fuk proposed three major educational goals: first, Curiosity (curiosity), encouraging the development of a unique perspective to understand others; second, Collaboration (collaboration), building a personal collaboration style that is more distinctive than fingerprints; and finally, Common Good (public interest). By transforming competition into a win-win through shared values, it strengthens people-centeredness so individuals can retain irreplaceable value amid technological change, and develop psychological resilience to withstand digital interference.

Pre-Bunking (prebunking) as a digital defense mechanism

On the institutional level, Taiwan uses a crowdsourcing system and citizens’ assemblies to require social media to take joint responsibility for harmful advertisements that have not been verified. This measure successfully reduced scam ads by 94%. In addition, in the face of rampant misinformation and scams, Tan Fuk shared Taiwan’s practical experience in promoting Pre-Bunking (prebunking) and cognitive defense. Compared with fixing issues after the fact, letting teenagers “participate” in identifying scams and training defense robots can more effectively build psychological immunity.

AI labels provide background information to clarify original content and reduce polarization and division

Tan Fuk likened “collaborative notes” to a vaccine for information viruses. Because traditional manual fact-checking often lags behind the speed at which sensational posts spread, using AI models to automatically provide background information at the moment a post is labeled allows readers and viewers to receive the necessary clarifications when they encounter the original content, thereby effectively reducing the polarization rate in the digital environment.

Set mobile devices to grayscale mode to reduce addictive temptations

The discussion finally returned to interpersonal connection and personal digital hygiene. Tan Fuk believes the best way to respond to cognitive warfare is not to intensify confrontation, because polarization plays directly into the attacker’s hands. Instead, building healthy, harmonious relationships—such as easing conflict through humor and story-sharing—can eliminate hostility arising from information gaps at the root. At the individual level, Tan Fuk recommended simple and practical digital hygiene habits, such as setting a mobile device screen to Grayscale mode (grayscale mode). This can significantly reduce the addictive temptations that pixelated content creates in the brain, helping users maintain clear thinking amid the flood of information. Through collaborative tools and digital self-discipline, society can build a non-aggressive defense system to counter the malicious spread of algorithms with collective intelligence, seeking consensus and truth amid digital fog.

This article, Tan Fuk: Protecting teenagers through AI labels and collaborative mechanisms, building a cognitive warfare defense umbrella, first appeared on Linked News ABMedia.