Jack Brewster
CEO and Founder, Newsreel

Information Devolution: How Cellphones, Social Media, and AI Shape Politics and Us – A multimedia program

Jack Brewster, CEO of Newsreel, an app designed to make news accessible for young people and the digitally exhausted, explores how the internet and social media are reshaping the way we interact and consume news, and the profound impact this has on our politics. Jack delves into the latest research on how social media, AI, and the internet are changing the way we think—or at the very least, act—and how they amplify the spread of misinformation while bringing out the worst versions of ourselves.

In addition to his work at Newsreel, Jack formerly served as Enterprise Editor at NewsGuard, where he broke the story uncovering the source of the viral false narrative that Haitian migrants in Springfield were eating cats and dogs. In early 2023, his research on ChatGPT’s propensity to spread misinformation was cited by The New York Times. In 2022, he conducted a landmark study revealing that TikTok’s algorithm feeds misinformation to users 20% of the time. 

Jack offers insights on how we can navigate this new digital landscape responsibly, addressing the rise of news avoidance, where many are turned off by negativity and extremism in the news. He also presents solutions, including improvements to how we consume news and how platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be used more effectively as a news source. His talk will help you understand how we can all contribute to a healthier democracy by staying informed and engaged in the age of the internet, social media, and AI.