Dealing with deepfakes

Source– The post is based on the article “Dealing with deepfakes” published in “The Hindu” on 6th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Scientific Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.

Relevance– Issues related to civil society

News- On May 28, the wrestlers protesting peacefully in New Delhi were arrested, and boarded in a van. Shortly after, a photo appeared to show four of the wrestlers posing with wide smiles for a selfie in the van.

What is deepfake?

A deepfake is something that a machine has produced using deep learning and which contains false information.

Deep faking is a significant ‘upgrade’ from photoshopping images. Here, machines process large amounts of data to falsify images and videos with fewer imperfections.

What are issues with deepfake?

People worldwide have already used the technology to create a video of Barack Obama verbally abusing Donald Trump, manufacturing revenge porn.

Chatbots can mimic intelligence. But, it is difficult to tell the difference when they make a mistake. People believe certain information to be ‘true’ because a machine gave it to them.

What are potential benefits of deep learning?

Using deep learning, the ALS Association in the U.S. founded a “voice cloning initiative”. It restores the voices of those who had lost it to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Deep learning has also been adapted in comedy, cinema, music, and gaming. Experts have recreated the voices and/or visuals of visual artist Andy Warhol.

It has enhanced our ability to understand, and even reinterpret, history.

What is the way forward to stop the misuse of deep learning?

Despite its misuse, deep learning can be saved from bad aspects, just like the kitchen knife or the nuclear reactor. The focus must be on how it can be used properly.

The experience with solar geoengineering offers a useful insight. it modifies the climate by blocking sunlight, But. it has planet-wide consequences. Many scientists have called for a moratorium on the use of this technology and for international cooperation.

There is a need for laws that regulate its use and punish bad actors. Wider consultation with people for their inputs can guide the future of such a powerful technology.

A good starting point could be manipulation of hyper-realistic digital representations of our image and voice. This should be considered a fundamental moral right in the age of deepfakes. It can be a stepping stone for individuals to become more scientifically, and digitally literate.

China has responded strongly to misuse of deep learning. It has banned deepfaked visuals whose creators don’t have permission to modify the original material and which aren’t watermarked.