The article also discusses the broader implications of deepfakes, including undermining social trust, lowering the quality of online information, and potentially disrupting historical records. Despite efforts to combat this issue, such as watermarking technology and metadata-tagging projects, the problem remains unsolved. The Pope emphasized that the rapid spread of such technological innovations is both exciting and disorienting, affecting everyone, not just professionals in the field.
Key takeaways:
- Pope Francis has expressed concern over the spread of 'deepfakes', or AI-generated images and audio that appear real but are false, citing a viral image of himself as an example.
- The Pope warns that while the technology behind these simulations can be useful, it becomes harmful when it distorts our relationship with reality and others.
- An AI-generated image of Pope Francis in a puffy coat, created by a Twitter user using the Midjourney v5 image synthesis service, went viral in March 2023, fooling many into thinking it was real.
- Despite ongoing efforts to combat deepfakes, such as watermarking technology and metadata-tagging projects, the issue remains unresolved, with the Pope emphasizing the importance of trust in the messenger of online information.