The Future Will Be Synthesised - Episode 2
What potential do deepfakes have to disrupt democracy? Henry Ajder examines the use of deepfakes in the political arena, including a recent example from the war in Ukraine.
Ever since the 2018 mid-term elections in the US, people have been sounding the alarm that a deepfake could be used to disrupt or compromise a democratic process. These fears have not yet come to pass, but recently deepfakes of Zelensky and Putin were deployed as the Ukrainian conflict escalated. How much disruption did these deepfakes cause? How convincing were they? And are they an omen of things to come? Could deepfakes enhance disinformation campaigns that already cause significant harm? Presenter and synthetic media expert Henry Ajder unpicks the most recent deepfake video and speaks to a journalist who reported on an unusual news report which used a deepfake news presenter to attempt to spread disinformation in Mali.
Interviewees: Kateryna Fedotenko, Ukraine 24; Sam Gregory, Witness; Catherine Bennett, Le Monde/ France 24
3. The Future will be Synthesised
Threat to democracy?
1. The Future Will Be Synthysised
Henry Ajder examines our synthetic future - starting with deepfake origins in pornography
Six things you need to know about deepfakes
The risks deepfakes pose to democracy, and their potential in health care.
Nazanin and the mystery of a decades old tank debt
Seriously... Archive
Even more seriously interesting documentaries from Radio 4.
Seriously... Reads
Read more about some of the amazing stories in Seriously...
Podcast
-
Seriously...
Seriously is home to the world’s best audio documentaries. Introduced by Vanessa Kisuule.