CHRIS ROPER: Will the real Jamie Roz please stand up?
Iqbal Survé’s Independent Media — the news crèche that birthed 10 imaginary babies — appears to have added a fake investigative journalist to its disinformation catalogue
We’re in the time of deepfakes now, people. We’re already being fooled by videos that purport to be of political figures saying outrageous things, but then turn out to have been created by artificial intelligence (AI). We’re also in the time of fake news, with state-sponsored media around the world publishing stories that are just made-up disinformation, or politicians telling blatant and shameless lies.
That thin line between reality and fiction is not just in the world of influence operations and propaganda. To take a random example: members of K-pop bands are in near-permanent contact with their fans in a digital metaverse, where the fans can interact with virtual versions of their favourite stars. (K-pop, for those who have just awoken from a lengthy coma, is the Korean cultural movement that combines pop music with extreme idolatry. Think early Catholic church, but with autotune.)..
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