Essay Sample about Information Revolution

📌Category: Science, Technology
📌Words: 806
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 17 February 2022

Humanity has gone through many technological revolutions: the Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Information Revolution. We’re on the cusp of another one: the AI Revolution. Artificial intelligence is used all over the globe today across nearly every industry due to its versatility. However, there are consequences. AI, like people, isn’t perfect. ML algorithms take in pre-sorted data to learn how to sort new data. This can be beneficial because once sufficiently trained, the AI can make the best judgment based on the algorithm. However, the versatility of this technology is a double-edged sword. AI can be used by a bad actor in a variety of ways targeted at consumers, including targeted data theft, misinformation campaigns, and cyber-warfare. Additionally, if one is not careful, haphazard uses of this technology can have far-reaching effects. Artificial Intelligence can affect the consumer in a myriad of ways, and it is imperative that the negative effects of this technology be mitigated to better protect the consumer.

Artificial Intelligence can affect the consumer in a myriad of ways, and it is imperative that the negative effects of this technology be mitigated in order to protect the consumer.

Deepfaking involves two competing algorithms: one making the forgeries from sample videos, and one that tries to detect if the video is a fraud. Commonly, this is done using face swapping, which is grafting one person’s face onto another’s body, and facial manipulation which is the actual facial expressions of said grafted face. This technology poses a significant threat to multiple facets of our society. Deepfakes can be used in misinformation campaigns to reach a sinister goal. Moreover, a bad actor could incite social division by circulating a deepfake depicting a key political figure saying a fake speech or committing atrocities. Deepfake technology can also be utilized in psychological warfare through social engineering attacks and phishing as it is extremely difficult to tell the difference. 

Imagine this: you get a phone call from your friend saying that he was down on hard times and needed money. The money is sent, and you see your friend the next day and ask him about it, only for him to not know what you’re talking about. Deepfake technology can be used to clone a voice with uncanny accuracy. Recently, deepfake technology was used to launch a social-engineering attack to steal $35 million. In this heist, attackers used deepfake technology to clone the voice of a company’s executive to swindle a bank manager—who had spoken to this executive before and recognized the voice—to authorize $35 million dollars to be transferred in what was claimed to be an acquisition. It’s the second known case of deepfaked voices being used to carry out a heist, the first of which being in 2019, in which $243,000 was stolen from an energy company by attackers posing as the CEO of the parent company of the targeted group. Typical cybersecurity tools designed to keep a hacker off the network aren’t designed to detect these fake voices. These social-engineering attacks can be devastating if the target is a single person as opposed to a corporation.

Deepfaking can be used in misinformation campaigns for a variety of goals. For example, a deepfake could be circulated of a political figure ordering subordinates to perform atrocities like police brutality in order to incite social conflict and riots. This would damage both the political figure’s reputation and destroy their chances of getting elected, whilst also inciting domestic conflicts like riots and protests.  

To ward against some of these dangers, a combination of practical approaches—such as using AI to detect if the video is a fraud—and precautionary approaches such as legislation are required. However, regulation of deepfakes poses several constitutional issues. Deepfakes are essentially false speech and regulating them implicates foundational rights to self-expression under the First Amendment. Though in 2019, Representative Clarke introduced the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act, which proposes that deepfakes must be labeled as such, and a person who knowingly fails to disclose this information faces criminal and civil liability. Importantly, however, the act provides an exception for situations in which no reasonable person would mistake the deepfake for reality.

Haphazard use of artificial intelligence could lead to serious unforeseen consequences. AI is complicated, and not knowing what one is doing when implementing it can be catastrophic. For instance, if an AI is in charge of the diagnosis of patients and is not properly trained, a mistake in diagnosis could lead to a patient’s death. Another example would be using a shoddy AI in a GPS, leading drivers into potentially dangerous situations. In addition, we must be wary of overengineering products by implementing AI in everything. Desultory use of AI in situations where the benefit is marginal can lead to failures in the product which can be catastrophic depending on the application. Relying too heavily on AI can lead to consequences such as complete halting of productivity in event of a failure, or wrong decisions in a scenario where such decisions are the difference between life and death. To ward against these risks, more education and research need to be conducted in this area to improve knowledge and usage of AI. This will be solved as time passes and more knowledge about the field is discovered.

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