Hello!
This is Alí, and I’m full of questions. I have a feeling you, dear reader, might have a few as well. Like, who am I? Why am I talking to you? And how exactly did I become the guest editor for this latest edition of TechAways?
Here’s a quick introduction: I’m a Communication Consultant at SEC Newgate, after many years in journalism. I enjoy football and jazz (yes, they can coexist peacefully), and I spend quite a bit of time navigating the endless world of the internet and social media, which leads me to my own questions.
First on the list: how can we trust anything in this deepfake era? Not long ago, spotting a fake meant identifying an odd Photoshopped image. But what if the image now moves, talks, and even sounds like someone you know, saying things they’d never, ever say?
These questions aren’t hypothetical anymore; they’re our new reality. The internet has worked miracles by connecting people across the globe, but it has also opened the door to some pretty sinister uses.
Who could have imagined President Obama articulating a few unexpected swear words while addressing American citizens? Or Jim Carrey somehow replacing Jack Nicholson in The Shining (1980)? Easy to spot, yes, but what if this is just the beginning? What if deepfake technology is already being used to create fake political narratives, destabilise communities, and even scam people by faking videos and audio of well-known figures (Sensity, 2024)?
In another article, I wrote about how deepfakes have become weapons in the war of political polarisation. Trump’s communication team, for instance, started producing AI deepfake “masterpieces” of their own: Kamala Harris addressing a communist crowd in Chicago; Taylor Swift “wanting you to vote for Trump,” or Donald Trump himself dancing with Elon Musk (dude, this is weird). They call it groundbreaking campaign strategy; I call it the poor man’s meme.
But what some see as a toy has taken on far more serious dimensions elsewhere. In Slovakia, a presidential candidate recently lost an election after a deepfake of his voice saying things he never actually did. And it’s not just politicians or celebrities at risk; deepfake content is already fuelling scams, revenge pornography, and identity theft. This growing threat has led European institutions to pass a law regulating AI, which includes mandatory labelling of deepfake content.
Now, after all this chatter, you might be expecting some advice. Here’s one: never share anything before double-checking.
Alí
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#TechAways is brought to you by SEC Newgate EU’s one and only #tech team featuring Julia Piwowarska, Camilla Frison and Ali El Majjaoui.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: pet edition 🐶🐱 [Wired]
Anyone who has lost a pet knows the heartbreak, and for some, it feels like losing a family member. Now, with pet cloning, there’s a way to bring them back… in a way. For $50,000, pet owners can create a genetic twin of their deceased cat or dog. After a pet has passed, the cells are viable for about five days. The body must be refrigerated, but not frozen, and owners need to provide a usually a piece of the ear from the deceased pet. At the lab, the cells are cultured, frozen, and stored until cloning begins. To clone, scientists insert a cultured cell into a donor egg and stimulate it electrically, mimicking fertilisation. Embryos are then implanted into a surrogate dog or cat. The process is delicate, as dogs are more difficult to clone due to their limited reproductive cycles, while cats can be induced to ovulate easily. If successful, a genetically identical twin is born. The catch? The cloned pet won’t remember its owner, nor will it behave the same, despite shared genetics.
AI Terminator takes on film 🤖🎬 [The Next Web]
We’ve seen cinema transform from silent motion pictures to special effects blockbusters in a span of a century. Now, another revolution is around the corner, this time involving AI. While technology has always been present in moviemaking to some extent, companies like Stability.AI want to use generative AI to transform visual effects in film – and even some filmmakers, like James Cameron of the Avatar and Terminator fame, are on board. The use of AI would allow tinkering with anything from the background, angles, faces, voices and costumes in post-production. Unlike computer-generated imagery, this can be done cheaply, allowing studios beyond just Marvel to create full movies out of a green screen. There are ethical concerns, though, as generative AI relies on existing data to train and improve. This data is usually scraped with no regard for intellectual property rights, raising questions about creative cannibalism.
Get ready for November’s Leonids meteor shower 💫🌠 [Gizmondo]
The Leonids meteor shower is expected from November 3 to December 2, peaking on November 18 around 7AM CET. It is famous for the fireballs and meteors that seem to graze the Earth with their long, colourful tails. The Leonids hold a reputation for being one of the meteor showers as it races through the sky at a speed of 71 km per second. For the best view, look up from late on November 17 through dawn, especially just before sunrise. You won’t need telescopes, just a dark spot away from city lights. The Leonids originate from Comet 55P/Tempel Tuttle that was found in the 1860s and travels around the Sun once every 33 years. Though a full-on meteor storm isn’t expected this year, the Leonids are still set to put on a brilliant show.
To be or not to be in a simulation; that is the question in the age of coding 💻🤖 [Gizmodo]
Since Plato’s allegory of the cave, questioning the reality around us has been a key part of our search for meaning. In the Matrix universe, Neo, the chosen one to end the war between humans and machines, made us see the world in a new light. This came right after Blade Runner left us wondering if we’re truly human or just cleverly crafted replicants. Now, with AI becoming a bigger part of our daily lives, it’s harder than ever to tell whether we’re talking to a human or a chatbot, despite all the CAPTCHAs in place. Experts are asking – if we discovered we’re living in a simulation, how would we know we’re not just a simulation within another simulation? Some estimate there’s a 20% chance we’re already in one, claiming that future technology could create virtual worlds so convincing that it’s almost certain we’re part of one. Others are more sceptical, quoting lack of proof. Many more experts have discussed this topic, but who’s to say one of them isn’t actually an android, quietly steering us off course on our quest to understand who we are.
In case you haven’t had enough:
- Why Dubai-based VCs are looking to invest in European climate tech [The Next Web]
- The biggest underestimated security threat of today? Advanced persistent teenagers [Tech Crunch]
- An easier-to-use technique for storing data in DNA is inspired by our cells [MIT Technology Review]
- Why You Shouldn’t Talk to AI Chatbots About the Election [Gizmodo]
About this week’s editor, Ali El Majjaoui:
I’m a Communication Consultant at SEC Newgate, after many years in journalism. I enjoy football and jazz (yes, they can coexist peacefully), and I spend quite a bit of time navigating the endless world of the internet and social media.