#rp25 speaker Sam Gregory: Deepfakes – real danger or just moral panics?

Whether it's the video calls between politicians and an alleged Vitali Klitschko, the lovescam involving a fake Brad Pitt or AI-generated propaganda videos in Venezuela – while deepfakes are becoming more and more realistic, the fear of fraud, disinformation and misinformation seems to be growing. What if we will soon no longer be able to distinguish fact from fiction? If we can no longer utilise photos and videos as clear evidence? Could this destroy the foundations of our democracy and irreversibly change our relationship with the truth?

At re:publica 25, we take a look at the current state of deepfake technology with Sam Gregory. We will look at the use of deepfakes in elections and learn how far-right actors are using artificial intelligence for political campaigns. Are the fears about the impact of AI justified? Or is it all just scaremongering? To find out, Sam gives an overview of the critical use cases he has analysed and their impact. Has anything changed in the past year of super elections, and are there differences between the Global North and South? What about the adoption of technical solutions? How are legislators and platforms responding?

Sam Gregory is a human rights advocate and technologist fighting on the front lines against deepfakes and deceptive AI, and in defense of truth and fact. A recognized authority on audiovisual communication and deception, and on the use of video and technology to advance human rights, he has testified before both the US House and Senate on AI and media transparency and is a TED speaker whose talk outlines the necessary steps to fight back against malicious and deceptive AI.

As Executive Director of WITNESS, he champions a global team supporting millions to use video and technology for human rights. In 2018, he launched the "Prepare, Don't Panic" initiative, a WITNESS-led global effort to tackle the challenges of deepfakes and generative AI. This pioneering work has directly influenced platform policies, legislation, and public debate on emerging technologies, and also includes the only global Deepfakes Rapid Response Force, connecting journalists with media forensic experts to expose AI-powered deception. 

The motto of re:publica 25 is ‘Generation XYZ’. What is your message for future generations with regard to the digital society?

Sam Gregory: “Fight hard to make it not just easier to communicate, but easier to communicate the truth.”