How To Tell Reality From Fiction Amid The AI-Driven Truth Crisis

The rise of AI deepfakes is fueling an AI-driven truth crisis, highlighting the urgent need for vigilance, critical thinking, and awareness to distinguish reality from deception.

The artificial intelligence narrative swings between utopian dreams and dystopian nightmares, often overshadowing the nuanced reality of its current capabilities and limitations.

Among the myriad concerns surrounding AI, one particularly unsettling claim is that it might lead to a world in which it’s impossible to distinguish truth from fabrication. This fear isn’t unfounded; the rise of sophisticated technologies like deepfakes and generative AI has democratized the creation of deceptively realistic content, putting powerful tools of manipulation within reach of the average user.

But does this technological leap truly herald an era when reality becomes indistinguishable from fiction? And if so, what are the ramifications for a society whose democratic foundations rest upon the bedrock of informed decision making?

The Age Of Lies

When AI deepfake technology is used in Hollywood to de-age actors—for example, enabling Harrison Ford to once again play a young Indiana Jones—it’s harmless fun. But when the same technology is used to make it appear that political figures have spoken or acted in ways they never would, it’s far more worrying.

Recent examples include deepfakes of both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. As we approach this year’s U.S. elections, the dangers of this are very obvious.

In another example, audio deepfakes have been used to “robocall” potential voters, urging them not to take part in elections, in a clear attempt to subvert democracy.

AI can also undermine the credibility of true information by making us wonder if it’s really a lie. The “liar’s dividend” refers to the advantage gained by sowing doubt and confusion, where the mere suggestion that something could be fake undermines trust, even in the absence of evidence.[…]