The UK government decided to wage war on explicit deepfakes. About time, right? But before we start celebrating, let's take a closer look.
The fact is that this isn’t about technology, it’s about human behaviour. The government is not trying to outright ban deepfakes, which would be impossible, to be honest. They're targeting the misuse of this tech for nefarious purposes.
But here's the million-dollar question: Does it really matter if an explicit image is a deepfake or hand-crafted by someone with too much time and photoshop skills? The end result is the same – someone's privacy and dignity being violated faster than you can say "artificial intelligence."
The real issue here is that it doesn’t matter whether you're using cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) or a crayon to create non-consensual explicit content, you're still in the wrong.
Laws against deepfakes are a great start, but it’s not enough, we also need a cultural shift. We need to foster an environment where respect for others' privacy and consent is as ingrained as the British love for queuing or complaining about the weather.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the government taking action. But, this feels like treating a symptom, not the disease. The disease is a lack of digital ethics and empathy…and unfortunately, there's no patch or quick fix for that.
So, how do we effectively address this? Education, for starters. We need to teach digital ethics from an early age. Make it as fundamental as learning to tie your shoelaces or not eating yellow snow. We need to create a culture where the thought of creating or sharing non-consensual explicit content – deepfake or otherwise – is as abhorrent as... well, eating yellow snow.
While I applaud the UK government for taking steps to address explicit deepfakes, let's not lose sight of the bigger picture. It's not about the technology; it's about the humans behind it. We need to focus on changing behaviours, fostering respect, and creating a digital world where consent and privacy are sacred.
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