Weekly Reflection Post
I’m usually all for technological advancements but Deep Fakes have me scared. During a point in history where there is so much political and social divide in our county and the world, Deep Fakes have the ability to push that divide further.
I feel it’s important that the US government and the governments of the world develop ways to combat Deep Fakes. There is already a huge issue with inaccurate news reports and people who are unable to determine what’s true due to a lack of media literacy. Deep Fakes would push that issue further.
Jordan Peele did a video to bring attention to the potential of Deep Fakes. He did a side by side video with a video of President Barack Obama, speaking for him. It was scary how real the Obama video seemed.
The fact that some people, and in the near future most people, have access to a technology that swaps faces and sometimes voices on people to make them look like they are saying something is incredible. I normally try to look on the bright side of things and point out the positive effects of something, but this technology scares me in a very deep way. I see horrible potential of fake news stories manifest from Deep Fake videos depicting world leaders saying statement they did not actually say. The technology is so good, and getting better, that it’s very difficult to spot a Deep Fake. The News Media will have their hands full trying to validate video sources as real and the public will look at videos as actual footage. The potential for global harm is huge and I feel there needs to be preventive action against the technology and the companies developing it. From elections to global conflict, this technology offers the ability to create fraud and information conflict like no other technology before it.
All of these seem great for the user and in many ways they are. They help us track our miles, our calorie intake and our heart rates. The provide us with goals to achieve and a digital converged experience where we can have our music, running route and heart rate all in one digital device.
Here’s an eye-opening Ted Talk on Deep Fakes:
seanpgriffin.com 