TED Talk #259: The incredible creativity of deepfakes – and the worrying future of AI

TED continues to spread ideas and help us all be better critical thinkers. Watching, listening and talking about TED Talks is a popular pastime for many in the CN&CO community. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh, learn or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations and business opportunities. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. It’s also a way that the CN&CO team play their part in spreading ideas and helping to make the world a better place.

This week’s talk was chosen by Colin Ford.

This TED Talk is a conversation between TED head Chris Anderson and AI developer Tom Graham, discussing the power of rapidly advancing technology. AI-generated media that looks and sounds exactly like the real world will soon permeate our lives. How should we prepare for it?

“We should be worried,” he says. “As individuals, it’s going to be difficult to understand what’s computer generated and what’s real.”

But there are benefits that come with it, too. Tom Cruise, for example, could be with us forever (although I’m not sure how much of a benefit that is!) Education is an area that could benefit – we could have a teacher presenting the same class online in any language around the world. Cultural exchange, socialisation… “There’s a lot we can do,” says Tom. (Graham, not Cruise.)

It’s going to be weird and it’s going to be wonderful at the same time. Check it out: