Skip to main content

This expert wrote a book on deepfakes ahead of the US election: 'Things will get worse before they get better'

* The quality of AI-generated deepfake videos has improved rapidly over the past few years – raising concerns around the potential for electoral interference and criminal activity.  * Nina Schick, author of new book "Deep Fakes and the Infopocalypse", spoke to Business Insider about Donald Trump, COVID-19, and the coming disinformation crisis.   * Written in just a few months, Schick's book outlines how we've only just begun to scratch the surface of dodgy information online. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Deepfake video technology is advancing more rapidly than many would have believed possible just a few years ago. From politics to porn, experts around the world have warned of the threats posed by increasingly sophisticated AI-generated and manipulated videos – with fears they could mark an eerie new chapter in the battle against disinformation. One author sounding the alarm is Nina Schick, a policy expert who only started writing her new book, "Deep Fakes and the Coming Infopocalypse", in February. "I had already put out a few mainstream articles on the topic," Schick told Business Insider. "Then suddenly the publisher got in touch and said: 'You should write a book about this. Can you do it in six weeks?'" A former executive at the now-defunct Open Europe, a think tank focusing the UK's relationship with the EU, and later an adviser to Emmanuel Macron on his 2017 presidential campaign, Schick has seen the realities of electoral interference up close. "Even though I wrote it very quickly, these ideas had been bouncing around in my head for almost a decade." As COVID-19 forced countries around the world into lockdown – while spurring a wave of false information online – Schick says she couldn't help but notice a "perfect case study unfolding" before her eyes. "Deep Fakes" reads at points like it could have been written in the past week, with a chapter on COVID-19, and a damning account of Donald Trump's "injecting disinfectant" gaffe. Touching on everything from fake celebrity porn, through to the Trump campaign feed and the Russian annexation of Crimea, Schick's page-turner outlines how we've only just begun to scratch the surface of dodgy information online. "Misinformation campaigns have a long history, and battling for a political narrative is not a new thing," Schick explains. "But the boundaries have been completely upended by the new features of our information ecosystem. It's become that much easier for bad actors to infiltrate the conversation." With ever more sophisticated deepfakes on the horizon, a number of initiatives have sprung up to try and curb the problem. In 2019, tech giants like Facebook and Google sponsored a $500,000 prize for deepfake detection tools, and a number of smaller firms are designing software to combat the problem. With all this in mind, is the chronicler of the infopocalypse optimistic about the future? "Oh, I'm terrified," Schick laughs. "I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better," she adds. "But as the social and political realities begin to dawn on our representatives, I think we'll be able to get on top of it again. "It just might take a few years." Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Epidemiologists debunk 13 coronavirus myths
https://bit.ly/31W55zv

Popular posts from this blog

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX.  Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...
Read more

Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck London fintech Lanistar used to raise $19 million at a $190 million valuation

* London-based fintech startup Lanistar has raised a £15 million ($19 million) funding round from Milaya Capital.  * Founded in 2019, Lanistar is building a personal financial management platform that will launch later in 2020.  * "We're expecting a huge amount of growth upon our launch and have already seen strong interest among our sign ups," Gurhan Kiziloz, founder and CEO of Lanistar, told Business Insider. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.  The coronavirus lockdown in the UK has brought the importance of managing money into sharp relief. A recent study from Money.com shows that 71% of UK households have saved cash during lockdown, and, with uncertainty about jobs and the economy looming, money management is now front of mind for many. Lanistar, a banking platform with a focus on personal finance, is one company offering tools for consumers to better manage their money. It has just raised a £15 million ($19 million) funding round from Mil...
Read more

How to send your location on Snapchat to your friends through the app's Snap Map feature

* You can send your location on Snapchat to a single friend or to several users in a group.   * To send a location on Snapchat, you'll need to visit your friendship history with a user and locate the "Send My Location" feature.  * Once you send a location on Snapchat to a friend, they can tap it and zoom in to see where you are.  * Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. Whether you want to share the location of your favorite restaurant or the address of your new apartment, you can easily send your location on Snapchat to your friends.  You can do this using the Snap Map and will even be prompted to select who you want to share you location with the first time you use the app feature. You can choose to share your location with your mutual friends, a list of friends with exceptions, or a small group of selected friends.  To send your location directly to a mutual Snapchat friend, you must visit your chat history through your friends li...
Read more