Deep fake technology

[pontipinemum]

I'm watching Ireland AM (morning chat show) there is a woman on there who had a normal picture of her wearing a tight black dress altered to make it look like she is completely naked. They showed the pic (censored) and it looks completely real. She said it was posted in chatrooms/ sex websites along with her instragram name and she got a lot of unsolicited pictures and 'what was said wouldn't be suitable to repeat'

But that is terrifying!! A picture she put up to be changed that much.

Sorry no question or anything I am just a bit shocked. I have my SM mid locked down but it is making me think I should do more.

I've seen on Youtube videos of the Ukraine shooting down Russian fight jets - it looked alike a movie. I said to my OH to look - it then transpired it was A! footage making the Ukraine side look really good but none of that footage was real

I find the whole deep fake/AI technology and how fast it seems to be moving really scary for multiple reasons.

Yes it's depressing. Eventually a large proportion of the public will be in a mindset where "we can't tell what's true or false any more" and that's dangerous - partly for people believing fake things are real, and partly because if the public disengage en masse with holding anyone to account, society will get even worse.

It is deeply worrying, OP. Not a lot more I can say about it really but I'm concerned about it and I think we all should be, more in the context of what @DistinguishedSocialCommentator than your example, although both are obviously worrying.

It terrifies me to be honest. I wonder why the technology exists for the general public to access and use in the first place. People’s lives are going to end up ruined because you can see how people will abuse it just with your example.

Agree, on a individual level it's really worrying how your personal images can be taken out of your hands like that. Especially when companies image search candidates.

On a societal level, as pp said, we are rapidly going to a place where nothing can be trusted and nothing can be verified and no one will be willing to risk themselves for a cause where the facts are in doubt.

All positive social change there has ever been have involved passionate people risking everything they have because it mattered and it was necessary. It will become harder and harder for anyone to feel that sure about anything.

When the tobacco companies knew for years their product caused cancer they did loads of research on doubt and what it does to hinder push back... Their whole company strategy and business model was built on it.

If you've got a situation where you can't trust any footage you see everything will be open to abuse.

So many terrible things can be done. @DistinguishedSocialCommentator that is crazy to think isn't it!

I can't remember which one but it was a British sort of political drama on a while ago. And they had an AI of the PM or one of minister where they completely manipulated what they he said even though it was live TV. It would worry you because it will be hard to know what to believe. That was fiction but could probably be done.

She was a strong woman, she said it did affect her. But that it is the person who did it that is in the wrong and should feel ashamed, not her.

Was it The Capture? That was a good taster of what to expect :(

Yes that was it. I remember thinking, that is mad but probably possible!

On R4's Woman's Hour this morning they were talking about AI software that could remove clothes - and instructions had been found on how paedophiles could use this on children's photos! (Or using the pictures for blackmail/coercion.)

Although the internet, social media and AI have some benefits, they do not balance the harm that's being done to society.

Did anyone see the Channel 4 News episode about women who were victims of deep fake porn? Women's images lifted off social media and turned into realistic pornographic films. In the process of researching they discovered that Cathy Newman was a victim herself and she watched it while being filmed.

I actually think this poses one of the biggest threats in history for many of the reasons pps have mentioned.

I think participating in the digital society has been bought, without any real say in it, for the price of relinquishing this control and we are all now operating like a murmeration of starlings, all flying the internet in our millions, hoping that is someone else who is picked out and destroyed, not us. Which is fine. Until it is you.
But we are over a barrel. Opting out is not an option for 99% of people.

These ai developments are like everything, sold for the benefits and consequences (possibly) mopped up, imperfectly, later.
The genie is out of the bottle.