In 1985, two researchers wrote an article predicting “The End of Photography as Evidence of Anything.” The authors felt that emerging imaging technologies would allow photos to be created that would be indistinguishable from the real thing with obvious. The dangers of this are obvious.
The camera may not lie, but people always have. A new artificial intelligence technology known as “generative adversarial networks” have greatly magnified the ease with which almost anyone will soon be able create compelling realistic videos that purport to represent real people and real events. Known as “deepfaking,” former President Obama and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have already been falsely portrayed making provocative or inappropriate statements.
A recent Forbes article warns that “while impressive, today's deepfake technology is still not quite to parity with authentic video footage—by looking closely, it is typically possible to tell that a video is a deepfake. But the technology is improving at a breathtaking pace. Experts predict that deepfakes will be indistinguishable from real images before long.“
CEOs and businesses are tempting targets. The risks to our personal and brand reputations is chilling. Take a minute for this article “Deepfakes are Going to Wreak Havoc on Society. We Are Not Prepared.” Get ready; it’s almost here.