It seems that deepfakes increase in popularity, but more alarming is how they just slightly differentiate from reality. A deepfake is a video where someone pretends to be a well-known person, like a politicus, which didn’t happen. How risky are those videos?
This technology was flourishing in 2017 and two years later people are worrying about the consequences of deepfakes. It could possibly lead to fraud and extortion. In the meantime it is 2021 and the technology has been developed quickly. At this moment the quality of deepfakes is that high that you can’t see the difference with reality.
However, it seems like the consequences have been overestimated. Abuse of deepfakes for political influences has not been taken place yet. Not in the Dutch elections as in the American elections. According to Theo Gevers, professor at University of Amsterdam deepfakes offer some opportunities to the market. For example, Lays simulated Lionel Messi who addresses his fans which seems to be very plausible.
Deepfakes could also have positive contributions. For example, deepfakes are used in grieving processes or for trainings and therapies. A person could have a conversation with a virtual version of a deceased person. Doctors could use deepfakes to practice their patient appointments. It could be also used in conflict situations, for example a divorce.
All these examples show that there are both positive and negative consequences. However, which consequences will be more dominant? Should we still be alert of the negative consequences? Or should we support the development of deepfakes? If that is the case how should the society regulate the use of deepfakes?
