- creates content quickly with minimal human involvement
- dynamic content that's accessible 24/7
- broad output: can incorporate writing, music, drawings, paintings, voice or visuals
- broad number of applications such as apps, websites, gaming environments, VR/AR experiences and many more digital channels
- can be created fairly simply as either user-generated content or through third-party providers

New York University

Synthetic media is media generated by technology such as AI algorithms. There are fears that it could be used to supercharge fake news, spread misinformation and automate creative jobs

Synthetic Media

Kreps, Sarah & McCain, R. & Brundage, Miles. (2020). All the News That’s Fit to Fabricate: AI-Generated Text as a Tool of Media Misinformation. Journal of Experimental Political Science. 1-14. 10.1017/XPS.2020.37. 

 All the News That’s Fit to Fabricate: AI-Generated Text as a Tool of Media Misinformation

Deep Fakes are a type of synthetic media where a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness using powerful
techniques from machine learning and AI to manipulate or generate visual and audio content with a high potential to deceive. Deep Fakes have garnered widespread attention for their use in revenge porn, fake news, hoaxes and financial fraud.

Deep Fakes

Pros of Synthetic Media

- less control over what is created, said or done to the user as it is mainly controlled by the AI
- lack of trust 
- security issues (i.e bypassing personal biometric security tools)
- uncanny valley
- lack of art and craft in AI generated works such as music and paintings

Cons of Synthetic Media

A political campaign uses an advanced algorithm to generate a realistic video of their opponent appearing to make a controversial statement they never actually said. The video is then widely circulated on social media just before an election. Based on this scenario, what is the most significant societal risk demonstrated by this use of technology?

Evaluate the following initiative. In your response, identify one major potential benefit and one significant potential risk of this use of technology for the news network and its audience.

Evaluating AI in Journalism

An art gallery is planning an exhibition featuring pieces created entirely by an artificial intelligence algorithm, from paintings to musical compositions. Analyze the potential societal implications of this type of technology, considering its effects on both creative professionals and the public's perception of art.

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