Ep. 3 – Avoiding the devaluation of the currency of information w/Rafaela Ellensburg

In this episode, Noz Urbina explores with content engineering consultant Rafaela Ellensburg how AI systems are contributing to a breakdown of trust and degradation of the perception of information in society.

Drawing parallels between financial systems and information systems, Rafaela shares her perspective on misinformation, systemic issues created by engagement-driven algorithms, and the urgent need for structured approaches to AI governance.

She uses the "gold standard" metaphor, where removing standards from both money supply and information creation leads to value collapse. The discussion emphasises practical solutions, including semantic frameworks, knowledge graphs, and circular content thinking to ensure organisations contribute value rather than noise to the information ecosystem.

Key themes include moving from volume-based to value-based content creation, implementing human-centred AI governance, and creating sustainable content practices that serve both business goals and human well-being.

"We as humans need to become owners of our reality. We need to own that and use that to govern those artificial things that we are able to create through the systems. The way in which we could do that is taking our reality and translating the concepts that are meaningful to be machine-readable."

"I think if people start to transition from a more linear way of thinking into a more circular way of thinking about content creation, then you will also see the importance of being able to trace back whatever that content tangibly offered or created value... Content is a living thing, and we are communicating it to living people." – Rafaela Ellensburg