As funny as this is, it's another example of the type of world we're heading towards. One where it will be impossible to distinguish truth from fiction on any level, through any medium or for any reason, which for me, is a pretty scary world to be living in.

At the moment, we can still usually distinguish between an AI generated picture and a real one, but very soon, it will be impossible to tell. AI video already exists which is so realistic, you have to look very hard to find the minor inaccuracies to spot that it was AI generated. Deepfakes, such as the one in the OP, are becoming more and more realistic. They may be being used for fun for now, but soon, along with AI generated photos, AI generated videos, AI generated websites, and a whole host of AI generated content, I can see a time when AI will be seen as a powerful political weapon to misinform, disinform, confuse and basically be used as propaganda tool, the likes of which we've never known. The line between fakery and reality will be so blurred, it's frightening. Thanks to social media, we already live in a world full of conspiracies and fake news, which makes it hard to tell who is telling the truth. The tools that AI are giving us will just accelerate that to a level we can't yet imagine.

Much like the rise of augmented reality, the real world will very soon merge with an artificial world to the point where we will be unable to trust anything we see, hear or read. The difference is, with augmented reality, we have to wear a headset, and we are aware and prepared that not all we experience is going to be real. Whereas AI will be hidden, lurking inside every type of media we consume.

The way we would usually tackle this sort of thing would be to regulate the industry, to make sure that it follows codes of practice, but there doesn't seem to be any talk of regulation coming from any country at the moment, because all countries know that currently, AI is a race to the top (or bottom, depending on your point of view) and any country which stifles development in this area, will likely fall behind other countries economically. It's why the recent letter signed by those in the industry, calling for a six month pause in development, was largely ignored.

All new technologies come with pros and cons. The internet - an amazing tool that changed the world, giving rise to new types of businesses, and giving us all of the worlds information at our fingertips, (if you read the right websites) but it also allows terrorists to communicate anonymously, pedos to share their sick images, and people to be conned out of their life savings.

However, the cons involved in AI are much, much more serious. If you told an AI how much the internet changed humanity, it would simply ask you to hold it's beer.

I wish I could end this with some kind of solution but I don't have one. I have no idea how this is going to play out. I don't think anyone does, apart from cross our fingers and hope for the best. But one thing's for sure, you already have no idea if I just wrote all of this myself or asked an AI to do it.

John Bingham wrote:

I can see a time when AI will be seen as a powerful political weapon to misinform, disinform, confuse and basically be used as propaganda tool, the likes of which we've never known.

Well that's happening already, the Russians don't need AI to do it.

Forget the Russians.

Mainland Chinese are being imprisoned behind an electronic wall no matter how far they wander away from the Middle Kingdom.

With the global proliferation of Chinese cars phones and AI, the East will rise and the West will fall. The Xi era of blissful prosperity can truly begin.