Imagine waking up one morning to find a video of you has gone viral on social media, in which you say something you never said. Or perhaps an audio recording of you that you never made has gone viral. The surprising thing is that the video is so realistic that even your family, friends, or colleagues believe it. A few years ago, such an event would have seemed like science fiction; but today, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, it’s a reality. We have entered an era where it’s not only possible to lie, but also to create false evidence. And therein lies the greatest danger of deepfake technology.
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Every technological revolution in the history of human civilization has opened the door to new possibilities for human life. Artificial intelligence is the most recent and influential innovation in this series. AI is generating positive changes in all areas of medicine, agriculture, education, research, industry, business, and administration. AI is already making significant contributions to person-centered education, language translation, research, disability assistance, data analysis, and creative work. But, like any powerful technology, AI is also a double-edged sword. Its misuse, due to a lack of ethics and responsibility, can generate a profound crisis for individuals, society, the state, and the education system. Currently, the two most discussed forms of this misuse are deepfakes and AI-powered voice cloning.
Deepfakes are a technology that uses artificial intelligence to merge a person’s face with another person’s body or video, making it appear as if it were a real video. Similarly, AI-powered voice cloning technology allows for the highly accurate imitation of a person’s voice using only a few seconds or minutes of audio samples. As a result, it is possible to create statements, interviews, or videos that the person in question never uttered or recorded. While this technological capability has been used positively in film, dubbing, language teaching, support for people with disabilities, and the creative industries, its use for unethical purposes has generated new risks in the social, political, and educational spheres worldwide.
In recent years, numerous deepfake videos and fake audio recordings have been created in different countries around the world, targeting political leaders, heads of state, religious figures, judges, journalists, professors, artists, and public figures. These technologies are used to influence elections, sow political confusion, spread hatred between communities, assassinate people, or destabilize international relations. A fake video on social media reaches millions of people in a matter of hours. Even if its falsity is later proven, the social damage, political tension, and crisis of public trust cannot be completely eliminated in many cases.
Recently, the Hyderabad Police Cybercrime Division filed a complaint against Arun Srinivas, director of Meta India, for allegedly spreading fake photos and videos of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media using artificial intelligence (AI).
Police stated that several deceptive videos, images, and posts about the prime minister have been rapidly spreading on Facebook and Instagram recently. According to the complaint, much of this content is created using AI technology, making it difficult for ordinary users to verify its authenticity. These incidents are also occurring with political figures in various countries, including Bangladesh.
One of the biggest crises caused by deepfakes and voice cloning is the crisis of information credibility. Previously, images and videos were considered conclusive evidence. But now, for the average citizen, it is very difficult to discern between a real video and a fake one. As a result, people are confused when trying to differentiate between truth and falsehood. In a democratic society, public opinion is formed based on truthful information; However, deepfakes are weakening that foundation. For this reason, many researchers refer to it as a new form of information chaos.
Most worryingly, students are becoming the primary victims of the misuse of this technology. Most students of the current generation are very active on social media. Just as they can easily fall victim to deepfake technology, some can also unwittingly participate in creating this type of content. In various countries around the world, incidents have already been observed such as the creation of satirical videos using a classmate’s photo, the dissemination of fake advertisements imitating someone’s voice, and the spread of fake advertisements.
