In late March, a photo of Pope Francis quickly went viral as it showed him wearing a Balenciaga bubble coat draped around him. Many assumed that it was possible the pope was wearing it due to the cold weather. It didn’t take long for people to find out that the photo did not actually depict the pope at all and instead, was a result of a digital deception known as a “deep fake.” Deepfake technology has been created using AI (artificial intelligence) and is quickly becoming a tool widely used to manipulate reality without most people even realizing it.
One example of AI being used to deceive is chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs, such as Midjourney, that have been designed to simulate conversations with humans. The creator, Pablo Xavier, had only to type three simple prompts for the program to create an image of the “Balenciaga Pope.” Unlike in the past, when creating a similar photo would require a lot of complicated code, with this program all it took was nine words. This alarming trend of AI-perpetuated disingenuity raises the question of how much control we have over our reality.
The tech world has been abuzz with talk of AI ever since OpenAI created ChatGPT last November. ChatGPT and similar programs can be used to create résumés, essays, solve math problems and more – all tasks that were once done by humans. This dynamic has resulted in the suggestion that technology is making us stupider and is one of the many concerns with the progression of AI technology. These concerns have resulted in leaders, such as Elon Musk, in calling for a brief pause in the development of AI for half a year.
The impacts of AI have had a profound effect on our society. AI-powered programs and software have resulted in decreased job opportunities for humans, and self-driving technology is a nascent development that many are still hesitant to use until it has been perfected. AI technologies have even had legal consequences, like when someone uses a deepfake to use someone else’s voice for their own gain.
The potential danger of a technology that could control our actions without our consent is a daunting thought. This concept has even been thought of in popular movies such as “M3GAN.” Artificial Intelligence could potentially open the door to conflict with humans, especially when these machines are advanced enough that they can think independently. AI certainly has incredible potential, but it must be developed safely in order to maintain a sense of reality.
