From France 24
False AI ‘fact-checks’ stir online chaos after Kirk assassination
Some conspiracy theorists have baselessly claimed that the video showing Kirk being shot was AI-generated, asserting that the entire incident was staged.
The assertion underscores how the rise of cheap and widely available AI tools has given misinformation peddlers a handy incentive to cast doubt about the authenticity of real content –- a tactic researchers have dubbed as the “liar’s dividend...”
“We have analyzed several of the videos (of Kirk's shooting) circulating online and find no evidence of manipulation or tampering,” said Hany Farid, the co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Farid also reported seeing some AI-generated videos.
Meanwhile, Ben Colman, CEO of Reality Defender, added that in real-world scenarios, the applications often ‘fail from the onset’. To combat convincing deepfakes effectively, experts believe, watermarking should be combined with other technologies.
Hany Farid is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences and the School of Information at UC Berkeley.
