Where I reside, in the United States, the newest craze is an app called Remini. With the click of a button, anyone can have professional headshots without getting out of bed. This latest artificial intelligence technology allows a person to upload a few photos of themselves, and generates life-like photos that were never actually taken. Sound too good to be true? Perhaps it is..
Would you believe the photo of me below is a fake?
Photo Generated by Remini AI Technology
Deepfakes
Although AI is an exciting new innovation sweeping the globe, the ability for anyone to create a deepfake is especially worrisome. Deepfakes are taking the world by storm. In some instances as a Hollywood commercial, but in others, a much more sinister way to exploit women and children has been brought to the surface. Deepfakes are a new form of artificial intelligence technology: with the click of a button, a predator is able to upload a picture of another person, and the technology will spit out lifelike images or videos of the person that never actually happened.
Bruce Willis recently fell victim as he appeared in a Russian TV ad. As realistic as the video seems, the commercial is a deepfake created of him, which the celebrity denies selling his right to.
As you can imagine, some of the products developed with deepfakes can be disturbing, to say the least. Women find fake pictures and videos of themselves for the sexual pleasure of men. Videos of politicians are created saying things they never said to cause an outrage. Not only are images of people being generated, but photos of false scientific publications as well. The media has become an infinite guessing game.
Doing More Harm than Good?
With that being said, of course there are also debates that deepfakes could help communities throughout the world. Could replacing deepfake videos on pornographic websites reduce the amount of sex trafficking and pedophilia? But does this debate outweigh the risks?
Please join me in uncovering the dark side of our newest craze, as I write about how AI is exploiting (or saving) vulnerable populations across the world.