Deepfake Technology and Its Negative Impact on Society
The increasing use of artificial intelligence and the improvement of its capabilities have led to the spread of deepfakes technology in a very large way, and the world is currently facing the complex effects resulting from it, as it negatively affects many sectors, the most important of which are: the business sector and the political sector.
These negative effects result from the misuse of this technology. Deep fakes are often used to create fake images or videos that many people may believe to be real due to the professionalism in their production. This leads to problems with the reputation of individuals and companies, a decline in the shares of a particular company, or influencing a political decision, etc.
Here are more details about deepfake technology and its negative impact on society:
First: What is deep fake?
Deepfakes are a technology that uses artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms to create professional-looking videos, audio clips, or images.
The algorithms on which this technology relies use large data sets to create fake content or alter original content, and this technology has developed so much that it has become difficult to distinguish between real and fake content.
Over the past few years, the growth of deepfake media has been exponential, with the number of fake materials circulating online doubling every six months.
A report published in Reuters indicated that nearly 500,000 fake videos and audio clips were posted on social media around the world in 2023. By 2025, 8 million fake images are expected to be posted using this technology if this media continues to double every six months.
Easy access to advanced AI tools and the vast amount of data available online are contributing to the spread of deepfakes. Social media platforms play a key role in the spread of fake media because of the speed with which information is disseminated and the ease with which it can be accessed by a large number of people.
A study by iProov found that in 2022, less than a third of global social media users knew what a deepfake was, and this has helped misinformation spread quickly across these platforms.
Second: What are the negative effects on society due to deep fake?
The development of deepfake technology poses significant challenges to different segments of society. Below are some of the main ways in which deepfake technology negatively impacts society:
1- Political manipulation:
Deepfakes have already impacted politics by showing political figures saying or doing things they never did. A famous example is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a fake video asking his military to stop fighting. This not only creates trust issues in political leaders, but it can also change public opinion and influence elections.
2- Spreading incorrect information and fake news:
The rapid spread of deepfake media on social media is exacerbating the problem of misinformation spreading among a large segment of society. A study by the University of Baltimore and cybersecurity firm CHEQ found that in 2020, fake news caused losses of $78 billion .
3- Increased privacy concerns:
Deepfakes can be used for malicious purposes, such as creating fake content featuring people without their consent. A prominent example of this was the 2023 actors’ strike, where actors protested the use of AI and deepfakes to create images of them without their consent. This raises privacy concerns and has led to calls for more laws and legislation to protect people from deepfakes using this technology.
4- Impact on the business sector:
Businesses are greatly affected by deepfakes, with some companies facing the problem of impersonating the CEO for financial fraud purposes, or creating content that could harm the company’s reputation and customer trust.
In 2019, the CEO of a British company fell victim to a fake voice scam. He received a fake call from the CEO of the German parent company, asking him to transfer €220,000 to a supplier’s bank account.
Third: How can the impact of deep fakes be mitigated?
Addressing the challenges posed by deepfakes requires an approach that includes advanced technological systems, legislation, and increased public awareness. Strategies that can be followed include:
1- Developing deepfake prevention and detection programs:
It is important to invest in developing and deploying advanced technologies to detect deepfakes and prevent their spread across different platforms such as social media and news sites.
Recently, Chinese company Honor introduced AI Deepfake Detection technology, which analyzes details of images and videos to detect flaws invisible to the human eye. After being trained on a wide range of fraudulent videos and images, it can identify, scan and compare content within three seconds. If synthetic or modified content is detected, this technology immediately issues a warning to protect users from potential fraud.
2- Increase awareness:
Raising awareness can help create a society that is less susceptible to deception, and raising awareness involves educating people about the existence of deepfakes and their potential risks. This could include educating people about the tools they can use to detect and prevent deepfakes and verifying that they are using legitimate media platforms that spread real news.
Within companies, employees can receive awareness and training courses on the effects of deepfakes to mitigate damage to personal and professional reputation.
3- Organization and legislation:
Governments and regulators should impose legislation and laws that address the spread of deepfakes, and set clear penalties for those who misuse this technology.
An example of this is the UK’s Online Safety Bill , which was recently updated to protect victims of deepfake abuse.
To do this at a global level, international cooperation is needed to address the threats associated with deepfakes, and this requires the exchange of advanced information and technologies between countries to provide strong protection against the misuse of deepfakes.
4- Facilitating the identification of fake content:
Social media platforms should focus on increasing transparency around the content they share, making it easier for users to verify the authenticity of the media they are viewing. This could include watermarking deepfake content or providing tools to verify the authenticity of media shared on those platforms.
Fourth: What is the future of deep fake?
Deepfake technology will continue to evolve and become more sophisticated in the future, raising more concerns about its impact on society. As AI algorithms advance, it will be difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake content, and this will have multiple negative impacts on different groups and sectors of society.
The apparent growth of deepfake technology in the increase of fake content across social media platforms highlights the urgent need for advanced software and legislation related to the safety of the use of this technology. This requires a collaborative effort between technology developers, governments and the general public in order to mitigate the negative effects of deepfake and maintain the safety of the digital world.