Can skeptics survive the misinformation age?

As AI and social media make falsehoods harder to detect, the community devoted to debunking bad information faces an uncertain future. Here is a truth: You are wrong about something. You have misunderstood a data point, been given bad information, or your memory has softened. Sometimes a bad actor is to blame—a podcaster spouting junk science, an influencer selling you on underresearched supplements, or someone who posts an AI-generated video that you’ll mistake for real footage. But, often enough, we deceive ourselves through long-held beliefs or superstitions. The closer that belief winds to your identity, the more likely you are to cling to it beyond reason—and the more it hurts to admit when you’re wrong.