<
https://joanwestenberg.medium.com/deepfakes-will-attack-our-most-precious-memories-are-we-ready-3d7aeefb31e9>
"Alzheimer’s has haunted my family for generations. I witnessed my
great-grandmother’s excruciating descent into oblivion as her memories slowly
eroded, leaving behind a hollow shell of the human being I remembered. The
experience instilled in me a profound sense of dread — will I be next?
A new technological threat has magnified that anxiety. Deepfakes,
hyperrealistic synthetic media powered by artificial intelligence, are fast
developing the capability to distort reality and manufacture false experiences
with alarming verisimilitude. For anyone who fears the loss of identity and the
loss of self through Alzheimer’s, deepfakes jeopardize the sanctity of our
memories.
Sophisticated AI synthesizes source material — photos, videos, voices — into
new, manipulated versions that appear genuine. With exponential improvements in
quality, deepfakes now simulate expressions and mannerisms with eerie accuracy,
making authenticity nearly impossible to verify, bringing unreality to life.
My grandmother’s decline taught me how fragile and precious memories are. They
shape our identity, guide our decisions, and nurture relationships. Losing them
is a special kind of agony. Deepfakes, however, imperil memories by fabricating
experiences that feel real, distorting the truth of our most precious moments.
As the line between real and fake memories blurs, deepfakes have the potential
to wreak psychological havoc. What are we left with when the building blocks of
selfhood and relationships corrode, and our sense of reality becomes unmoored?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
