Will the temptation of deepfakes become too much for democratic governments to resist? If deepfakes are being considered, what questions should governments be asking, and who in government should be asking them?
Two professors at Northwestern University have outlined several hypothetical scenarios in which democratic governments might consider using deepfakes to further their foreign policy goals, and what this use could mean for democracies. He co-authored a new report examining the potential harms.
The report was released on March 12 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Co-authors include VS Subrahmanian, Walter P. Murphy, professor of computer science at Northwestern Engineering University, and fellow Buffett Institute of International Studies. Daniel W. Rinna Jr. is a senior lecturer and director of law and technology initiatives at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and a senior lecturer in the McCormick School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science. They co-led the report with Daniel Byman, a senior researcher in the CSIS Transnational Threats Project.
> Listen: Subramanian and Rinna discuss the report on the podcast Lawfare
Deepfakes, which are digitally altered videos, photos, or audio recordings, are typically used maliciously to spread disinformation and cause chaos. A well-known example is the fake video that surfaced in March 2022. The video shows a digitally altered version of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy instructing soldiers to lay down their weapons.
“As AI advances, deepfakes will go from primitive to highly realistic and increasingly difficult to identify,” the authors wrote in the report. “This proliferation of AI creates a unique opportunity for state actors to use deepfakes for national security purposes.”
Researchers speculate that the temptation of deepfakes will eventually become irresistible for democratic governments. “It will not be long before major democracies, including the United States, begin using, or at least consider, deepfakes to achieve their goals if they are not already using them,” they said. .
According to the authors, authorities should consider several factors when considering the use of deepfakes.
- Potential effectiveness of deepfakes
- that audience
- potential harm
- legal implications
- nature of target
- Purpose of deepfakes
- Traceability of deepfakes to democratic governments.
In general, the authors argue that deepfakes should not be used because they can undermine the credibility of democratic governments. However, there are rare cases when you should seriously consider using deepfakes. In such cases, the authors say governments should develop processes to approve or reject deepfakes and ensure that a variety of perspectives are represented.
