Finding meaning and truth in information management

"Just the facts." This mantra, drilled into us since our school days, reflects a deeply held belief: that information is a collection of truths mirroring an objective reality. The more data we gather, the thinking goes, the closer we inch towards a better understanding of the world.

But what if this view of information is incomplete and even naive? In his provocative book "Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI," published in September 2024, historian Yuval Noah Harari argues that information's primary role throughout history has been to connect people, not necessarily to represent truth. Stories, from ancient myths to corporate mission statements, don't just describe reality - they create it, by stitching minds together into shared webs of meaning. This is not to say that information should not concern itself with truth; instead, Harari recognizes that information, contrary to what we naively want to believe, is not necessarily concerned with facts and truth.

This idea takes on unsettling implications in light of philosopher Harry Frankfurt's concept of "bullshit" (BS). For Frankfurt, the one engaging in BS is a figure who, unlike the liar, has no regard for truth whatsoever. BS isn't about deception, but indifference to truth and facts; it's speech that, by prizing persuasion over accuracy, erodes our collective capacity to grapple with facts.

If Harari is right that much of what passes for information is more about forging social bonds than mirroring reality, and if Frankfurt's diagnosis rings true in an era of clickbait and spin, where does that leave us in this age of AI? What new challenges arise as chatbots become capable of generating plausible-sounding BS at unprecedented scales?

Information, in Harari's view, actively shapes the world by weaving "intersubjective realities" - things that are real not because they correspond to some external truth, but because they live in the nexus between minds. For organizations, managing information means not just maximizing accuracy, but nurturing narratives that connect people to a larger whole. The challenge is to create stories that are resonant and responsible - grounded in reality, while gesturing towards worthy aspirations.

However, the line between a galvanizing story and manipulative spin is perilously thin. This is where Frankfurt's notion of BS becomes salient. For Frankfurt, the BS-er is a more insidious figure than the liar, because while the liar at least implicitly acknowledges truth by trying to conceal it, the BS-er operates in a world where truth is simply beside the point.

As AI chatbots gain the ability to generate fluent and convincing text, the problem compounds. Trained on vast swaths of internet data, these models, indifferent to truth, are by default BS generators if not responsibly used by humans. Like funhouse mirrors that distort rather than mirror truth, AI chatbots optimize for what sounds fluent - a recipe for informational chaos without responsible human evaluation.

Thus, perhaps our task is not to choose between truth and connection, facts and fictions, but to responsibly bridge them - to weave information networks that bind people together while keeping them grounded on reality. This means balancing data integrity with story resonance, building cultures that prize both accuracy and meaning-making. It means designing systems to inform and connect, not just capture attention; honing human discernment alongside AI efficiency; and curating content with an eye to not just what's click-worthy, but what's truly enriching.

In an age where AI and BS can lead to vicious cycles, wise information management is more vital than ever. The future belongs to those who can craft resonant narratives rooted in rigorous respect for facts - who can harness information's connecting power while keeping faith with truth. Our way forward lies in navigating tensions - between data and story, algorithm and judgment - with care and skill.

Because in the end, what hangs in the balance of information management is how we nurture, rather than stunt, our innately human tendency to create meaning and desire the truth.