In an incident signalling the misuse of artificial intelligence to spread misinformation, a deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna has gone viral on the internet. Soon after the AI generated video went viral on the internet, the ‘Pushpa’ actress expressed her disappointment with the viral fake video and pointed out the possible misuse of technology to malign someone’s image.
In a first look, the AI-fabricated video shows Pushpa actress wearing a black dress and entering an elevator. However, the video is of another lady and was created by using an AI technology called deepfake.
The original footage actually featured Instagram influencer Zara Patel, and someone had employed AI to morph the image of the actress into a convincing deepfake.
After a manipulated video of actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral, the internet has been flooded with doctored images of Sara Tendulkar with cricketer Shubman Gill and a still shot of Katrina Kaif from the upcoming film ‘Tiger 3’ and actress Kajoll.
A deepfake video that shows her changing clothes and it has gone viral on social media. According to the fact-checking platform Boom, in the clip, Kajol’s face was superimposed on a video of English social media influencer Rosie Breen.
The term “deepfake” derives from “deep learning,” which refers to a form of machine learning involving extensive layers of data processing and requires a profound understanding of software and computation.
This technology enables the creation of remarkably realistic faces of individuals you may recognise. To generate such a face, the software necessitates multiple images of the person from different angles, which are often readily available in the public domain for celebrities.
Drawing from this information and a provided library, the software constructs a profile of the subject as specified by the user.
Subsequently, the software progresses through stages involving a generator and discriminator, and following some fine-tuning, the final result is produced. This process is also known as a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN).
While AI, is presently, in its inception stage, it is important to understand that the technology is expanding its roots rapidly, be it in good or bad water.
Producing or disseminating deepfakes may potentially constitute instances of fraud or defamation, both of which are unlawful.
Deepfakes have significant consequences for humankind as not only do they spread misinformation, these manipulated videos can be used for cyberbullying, scams, harassment, and even political manipulation.
What’s worse is that women are at a greater risk due to deepfakes. People can create non-consensual pornography and manipulate public perception, leading to severe repercussions for women’s safety, privacy, and reputation.
There is a growing need for effective detection of manipulated media. Not only do we need stricter laws and the spread of awareness, technology must come to the rescue and develop tools for verifying the authenticity of content online. And therein lies the irony of it all.
With the prevalence of social media, individuals with malicious intent find it much easier to exploit information, particularly in the case of deep fake videos.
The concerns extend beyond just deepfake videos; the burgeoning field of AI presents significant worries for the people. Without proper regulation, this could lead to serious problems in the near future.
There are AI software, which function as a language and speech synthesis model, listens to a human voice for three seconds in order to analyse language, sound features, accents, and other factors. It then replicates the user’s voice with specific stops and texture, mimicking human speech. Users can input written text, and the software will generate audio in a contextually appropriate manner.
These tools have the capacity to substitute faces in videos, replicate and manipulate voices, and even converse in multiple languages. If utilised with malicious intent and combined effectively, these tools could become exceedingly difficult to combat.
In an already vitiated socio-political situation, those with malicious intent, can post doctored videos online, where a popular politician is heard giving inflammatory speeches, which can trigger communal riots.
The need for regulation is definitely urgent. Any new technology comes with its own set of problems.
We haven’t even figured out how to handle the evils of social media yet and social media is now nearly two decades old. So dealing with AI, which is evolving every day at a much faster pace than social media ever did, will take time. By the time a credible solution is found, it could cause substantial damage.
Digital media is a double-edged sword: it empowers people on one hand, but causes severe unrest in the society due to fake and malicious information that is uploaded on social media.
The perpetrators also know how to circumvent the law and use newer method to cause damage without the fear of getting caught. This is even more worrying.
We all have to be alert and most importantly, behave responsibly. A seemingly harmless prank can destroy someone’s life. Don’t forget, it doesn’t take long for the tables to turn. The offender can himself or herself become prey to technology within no time.
