The public opinion about deepfakes, just as with voice cloning, is ambiguous. Some focus their attention on the “fake” component, saying that the technology is mainly used for cheating and fraud. Others are more focused on the benefits that deepfakes deliver to business and media, preferring to find ways to implement those benefits in their organizations.
This article will go through the pros and cons of synthetic media for the future of work.
What is a deepfake video and what are the dangers behind it?
Deepfake is made possible by a neural network that studies ready-made images and compiles a video based on the imagery processed. For instance, AI explores photographs of David Beckham and can then release a video with him encouraging people to support the fight against malaria.
Deepfakes can also be created by mixing one character with another so that Brad Pitt can become the Terminator and Jim Carrey the villain from “The Shining”.
Due to the quality of the final result, this synthetic media can also be used to discredit public figures. In 2019, deepfakes made Nancy Pelosi, the US House of Representatives Speaker, seem drunk by changing her speech so that she couldn’t pronounce words well. Similar fakes include videos with Donald Trump saying that he is against climate initiatives and Obama, calling him a dip****.
These instances evolved into massive scandals because it’s almost impossible for an ordinary person to realize that AI-generated those videos.
However, things are not so simple. Today, more people are trying to minimize the dangers of deepfakes while leveraging deepfake technology for business tasks. Those who want to become more familiar with this synthetic media’s negative and positive aspects can enroll in the Linkedin Learning course ‘Understanding the Impact of Deepfake Videos’ for a comprehensive overview of the technology.
Deepfake use cases and benefits for the office
Deepfakes are also the source of many positive outcomes for the film industry, including “reanimating” old or deceased celebrities and serving as a safety net for actors while filming dangerous stunts.
Deepfakes are also widely used to promote films, allowing anyone to play the role of a main character.
Leveraging deepfakes in advertising is a popular tactic as well. Synthetic media allows an actor to “speak” any language they want, thus making it possible to spread a video to more regions in a shorter time.
By the way, did you know that partners of the British company EY from the Big Four of Auditors use deepfakes to communicate with clients? In order to be able to speak Japanese with a client, one of the partners created a deepfake video of himself speaking in his client’s native language. The customer was warned that the video he was watching was AI-generated but was impressed nonetheless.
Considering the benefits that deepfakes deliver, we can highlight the following outcomes:
- Communicating with clients in their native languages
- Creating training videos for employees and customers
- Promoting your company worldwide and eliminating the costs of travel
- Streamlining the process of developing images for marketing purposes, i.e., creating models to show new clothes, products, and so on.
In a Nutshell
No type of technology is objectively evil, it only becomes harmful when it ends up in the wrong hands. Make sure you adhere to fair services, and don’t be afraid to personalize your customer relationship management with synthetic media.
