This tech is becoming ubiquitous.
Biden His Time
A new video is going viral, seemingly of president Joe Biden cussing out his enemies in slur-laden language.
But the video isn’t really of Biden — it’s an AI-generated deepfake of the president. And while funny, it shows a growing sophistication and accessibility of deepfake production tools that should alarm anybody.
“My fellow Americans. I want to take a moment to address some of the hateful shit you have been talking about me,” says the deepfake Biden, who sits at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office of the White House. “Many of you have said I am suffering from brain worms or I have applesauce for brains. Well I won’t mince words, so here it is: f*** you, you are a bunch of [derogatory slur for homosexual men]. End the quote. Repeat the line. So enjoy President Cackles or President Bootyjuice. I really don’t give two f**** anymore. Biden out.”
The video features the logo of PBS in the corner, prompting the broadcaster to issue a statement disavowing its contents as the video spread.
“A deepfake video of President Joe Biden bearing our logo is circulating on social media,” it wrote. “Biden did not make this statement. PBS News did not authorize the use of this video and we do not condone altering news video or audio in any way that could mislead the audience.”
Uncanny Valley
As users pointed out online, the video probably wasn’t fooling very many people. In addition to its absurd and offensive content, the voice doesn’t sound right and the lips are slightly asynchronous to the audio.
“Whaaaaat, you’re telling me this video isn’t real?!? Looks pretty real to me…” one user sarcastically marveled in response to PBS.
A watermark on the video indicates that the X user “Prison Mitch” cooked up the video, as noticed by AFP, which is an account that regularly posts deepfake videos.
Skeptical viewers will guess correctly this video has been digitally altered, but it’s likely realistic enough to fool regular folks, prompting several fact-checks to set the record straight.
One of the most pernicious forms of deepfakes has been porn depicting non-consenting people, ranging from school girls to celebrities like Taylor Swift.
This issue has prompted the US Senate to action by passing a bill that would make it possible for victims to sue makers of deepfake porn in civil court. The US House of Representatives needs to approve the bill before it goes to Biden’s desk.
Another emerging purpose of deepfakes has been to scam people out of money, such as the case of hackers absconding with more than $25 million after fooling employees at the Hong Kong branch of an international corporation.
Some potential remedies to fight deepfakes involve a digital watermark, detection software, or labels certifying an image is real — none a watertight solution in our rapidly changing information environment.
Regardless, be wary of what we see online. If you have an inkling of doubt, wait to verify before clicking “share.”
More on AI deepfakes: Hackers Steal $25 Million by Deepfaking Finance Boss
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