If there is one thing that makes me nervous about Artificial Intelligence (AI) right now, it is the increased proliferation of DeepFakes.
Coming from a time when video footage was irrefutable evidence of the truth, today I am often hardpressed to owe up to believing anything I see on the Internet. And it is all because of DeepFakes that have eroded my trust in my own eyes.
And we are not even talking yet about a future of AI taking on humankind in a Man Vs Machines insurgence.
DeepFakes, or simply, fake videos of humans who are actually created by AI solftware. The ability of computers to do deep learning in imagery, combined with sophisticated video systhesis allows new (but fake) models of persons to be created, complete with really convincing facial expressions.
You only need to google side by side examples of DeepFakes, to see hundreds of celebraties and personalities such as Vladimir Putin, Jimmy Fallon, Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama the list goes on. In fact, any person can be easily impersonated.
The World Wide Web is flooded with pseudo-news
videos that carry misleading, or totally wrong statements from global
politicians and activists. We are caught in a propaganda war that leverage
DeepFakes to falsely influence the masses using social media, to handed
presidential wins to the un-deserved. Countless scandals (especially from
revenge portn) have emerged from DeepFakes created to cause chaos and
confusion.
While it may instinctively seem that DeepFakes would be used to serve devilish intent, fact is that it has been used in some pretty effective ways too.
DeepFakes have been used to by law-enforcement authorities to lure and track paedophiles in far-corners of the dark web. DeepFakes have also allowed us to catch our favourite (or dead) movie stars and actors in sequel movies, or our own film creation.
IT BYTES BACK! says: There could be much good fun in DeepFakes, but for now it seems that the raise of this fake videos from the advert of AI, is doing more harm than good with lawsuits of defamation and impersonation.
