When fake nude pictures of Taylor Swift were posted on X, it quickly caused an uproar. “Terrible,” said Microsoft. “Unsettling,” said the White House. After the image received tens of millions of views, X was forced to block all searches for Taylor Swift. – I think the Taylor Swift example is just the start of something much bigger. So says Morten Goodwin, professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Agder. – In other words, 2024 could be the year of “deepfakes”, he believes. What is a deepfake? A deepfake is an image, sound or video that has been manipulated using artificial intelligence. Such content can make it seem as if someone has said something they have not said, or done something they have not done. It can be used for a lot of nonsense, but also misused to create fake pornographic images of celebrities, or make it look like a head of state is coming up with a serious plan. It seems that the pop star has managed to “shake it off”, with the help of X and the fans. Photo: AP Should we be worried? – Almost every month there is a new algorithm that is even slightly better than the previous one at spreading false information, says Goodwin. – Should we be concerned about this? – Revealed. Now this technology is so good and available to everyone. KI professor Morten Goodwin thinks the Taylor Swift case is just the beginning. Photo: Pål Tegnander Associate Professor within KI at NTNU, Inga Strümke, thinks superstars like Taylor Swift will do well. Ordinary people, on the other hand, do not have the same support system. – This has already happened to many women out there, and also children. It is hysterically widespread, she says. Inga Strümke already sees a lot of “deepfakes”. Photo: NTB Thinks “deepfakes” can influence the election in the USA Strümke believes that electoral influence is a bigger democratic problem than a “naked” Taylor Swift. She mentions, for example, the upcoming presidential election in Swift’s home country: – Society and the debate are much more polarized in large parts of the USA than in Scandinavia. And then we know that they have much less trust in the media. So then there is no point where you check whether information is true. Already when Obama was president, the “deepfake” technology was put into use. Today, “deepfakes” are more realistic. Photo: AP Imagine someone creating a “deepfake” in which President Joe Biden makes extremely racist remarks. Maybe that would make many Americans react, and even vote differently? KI professor Karim R. Lakhani from Harvard University is also concerned about the legal system in his own country. – It is based on photo and video evidence. All that can be falsified, he says to news. Harvard professor Karim L. Lakhani is also concerned about the use of “deepfakes” in the US. Photo: Privat Even here at home it can happen, says Morten Goodwin: – Let’s say that another country spreads a picture of Jonas Gahr Støre talking to some bad people. It will not be verified by Støre, but someone may be deceived. Almost impossible to reveal – The time when we can use digital content as a truth witness or evidence is over, says Strümke. Nevertheless: It may still be possible to reveal “deepfakes”. The experts’ tips for spotting a deepfake Look for strange body language in videos Look for when the person in the video turns around. Often, parts of the face or clothing can hang a little The area around the chin is a key point: There can be a strange transition from the chin to the neck, or it can look like the chin is a bit stuck in the shoulder when the person moves But according to Strümke, this is actually already happening to make “deepfakes” that are so good that it is impossible to distinguish them from the real thing – as long as you have enough photo material of the person you want to fake. – In that sense, a celebrity is the perfect victim. There are so many pictures and video clips of Taylor Swift. But as the pop star herself sings in the song “ME!”: I’m the only one of me; Baby, that’s the fun of me There’s only one Taylor Swift. Photo: AP
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Experts believe 2024 will be the year of “deepfakes” – news Culture and entertainment
