Deepfake is like that. This technology uses artificial intelligence to "apply" the face, voice, and gestures of one person to another, making unreal things look so real that we have to doubt our own eyes.
On the bright side, deepfake is like a smart but mischievous child. It helps cinema revive historical figures, allowing young actors to "dialogue" with their old versions, or helps preserve the image of the deceased in a more vivid way than black and white photos. In education, deepfake can create fascinating lectures, when you "meet" a famous scientist who directly explains their invention...
Deepfake also brings very humane things. There are families who use this technology to recreate the voice of their deceased loved ones, not to deceive anyone, but to soothe longing. There are patients who lose the ability to speak to "return" their voice closer to themselves. In those moments, deepfake is no longer a forgery, but a fragile bridge connecting memories with the present.
But the dark side of deepfake lies in the fact that it hits trust, which is already fragile in the social media age. When a video can make us believe that someone has said something they have never said, done something they have never done, then honor, prestige, even personal safety can collapse in just a few clicks.
Deepfake has been used to defame, extort money, and manipulate public opinion. It can turn fake news into "live evidence", making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake. In the old days, people said "a hundred hearings are not equal to one seeing". Now, seeing it... is still not necessarily true.
Perhaps, like all other technologies, deepfake is not bad or good on its own, but the problem is how we choose to use it and where to set the limit.
Knowing how to be skeptical at the right time, knowing how to verify information and knowing how to respect the truth, these may be the necessary "antibodies" in the deep-fake era. As for technology, instead of just running after "trends", we also need to run with responsibility.
You were constantly thinking when your wife screamed loudly: "Oh my god, actress Q was arrested for drug trafficking and embezzlement of charity money. Oh my idol is now so corrupt?".
You follow the reflex of being startled and then pause and calm down: Maybe you're being deceived by deepfake, let me "check" your acquaintance to see!
In this mixed virtual world, sometimes that composure is the best way to protect one's own beliefs.
