“IT'S SORT OF THE PERFECT STORM”
Using AI to generate lifelike video is now available to nearly anyone who can download and use a computer program. Consequently, it’s getting harder than ever to spot “deepfake” videos. Many are worried that the proliferation of what’s known as “generative AI” will escalate propaganda and campaigns by bad actors.
For example, a right-wing activist recently created a fake video of President Biden announcing a draft to send American soldiers to Ukraine. The video is so lifelike that I would have assumed it was genuine if I didn’t know otherwise. An AI-generated photo faking Donald Trump’s possible arrest circulated on Twitter and was soon viewed 2.2 million times.
Scammers are using AI to create audio that sounds like family members in distress asking for money, stealing thousands of dollars from their victims. “It’s terrifying,” said Hany Farid, a professor of digital forensics at the University of California at Berkeley. “It’s sort of the perfect storm . . . [with] all the ingredients you need to create chaos.”