Deepfake videos are a type of synthetic media that use artificial intelligence to create realistic but fabricated videos of people saying or doing things they never actually said or did. Deepfakes can be used for a variety of purposes, including entertainment, satire, and even political propaganda.
However, the potential for deepfakes to be used for malicious purposes is also significant. For example, deepfakes could be used to damage someone’s reputation, spread misinformation, or even interfere with elections.
As a result, there is a growing call for government regulation of deepfakes. In 2019, the U.S. Congress introduced the “Malicious Deepfakes Prohibit Act,” which would have made it a crime to create or distribute deepfakes with the intent to harm someone. However, the bill did not pass.
In 2020, the European Union released a white paper on artificial intelligence, which called for a “proportionate and effective regulatory framework” for deepfakes. The white paper suggested that deepfakes could be regulated as a form of harmful content, similar to hate speech or terrorist propaganda.
So far, there is no comprehensive government regulation of deepfakes in any country. However, there are a number of laws and regulations that could potentially be applied to deepfakes, such as laws against fraud, defamation, and copyright infringement.
In addition to government regulation, there are a number of other ways to mitigate the risks of deepfakes. These include:
- Education: Educating the public about deepfakes can help people to identify and verify them.
- Technology: Developing new technologies that can detect and block deepfakes is an important area of research.
- Industry standards: Establishing industry standards for the creation and use of deepfakes could help to reduce the risk of misuse.