What is real? Understanding Deepfakes and its implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18272/0qg9bv87Keywords:
Deepfakes, disinformation, reality, image generation, AI Act, Digital Service Act, General Data Protection RegulationAbstract
Deepfakes have been widely used for several purposes in the last years. The examination of its technical architecture is key to understanding the resulting societal and legal challenges. It involves computational mechanisms like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Autoencoders, and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), as well as hardware and networking infrastructure for high-fidelity synthesis. Deepfakes disrupt non-AI sectors, particularly cybersecurity biometrics, media broadcast credibility, and legal forensic analysis, where the phenomenon of the "Liar’s Dividend" threatens the integrity of digital evidence. While acknowledging potential benefits in creative industries and assistive medicine, there are severe ethical risks, including the proliferation of non-consensual sexualized deepfakes and political disinformation. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the sufficiency of current law, in this case, the European Union’s regulatory framework, specifically the AI Act, DSA, and GDPR.
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