The profile: unleashing your deepfake self
Abstract
From the way we perceive society to the way we perceive ourselves, the virtual environment is changing the fundamental mechanisms of living. There is a significant gap in understanding the impact of current AI technologies on society. For instance, deepfake creates realistic forgeries that make people unable to distinguish reality from fiction, while filtering algorithms distort the perception by amplifying the interests of the user. The speed and scale of the virtual world and its hazy moral context put pressure on regulators to build the groundwork of ethical codes and regulatory frameworks. The multifaceted nature of such regulatory frameworks - legal, technological, societal, political, ethical - make it a challenging task, in which the public perception remains a key issue. The study presents a multimedia art installation - “The Profile”- based on deepfake technologies, in which the users movements are gradually learned and an alter ego is generated. The user becomes confused when this alter ego starts to deviate from its initial mirroring behaviour. “The Profile” artwork aims to raise awareness of the main threats of current online technologies and dark patterns employed online. The users experience ethical dilemmas regarding the impact of the latest technologies in a metaphoric approach. The interaction is structured in three parts that match the steps of creating an online identity: (i) filling personal data, (ii) agreeing to terms and conditions, and (iii) receiving personalised content. Our work extends the current state-of-the-art by using the decomposition of the frame along with the image simplification, real time rendering and the combination of ethics and art for human-centred technology. We also discuss some of the risks of AI, along with the proposal of art as a way to approach technology ethics. With the “The Profile”, we aim to raise awareness about the power of deepfakes, build new technology, understand human behaviour, and present a fresh perspective on intertwining art and AI.
Full citation
"The profile: unleashing your deepfake self", Cheres, Ioana and Groza, Adrian, Multimedia Tools and Applications Springer Nature, pp. InPress, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-14568-x, 2023.