Greetings from Margaritaville in Hollywood, Florida. It's day two of the ANA AI for Marketers Conference and (to paraphrase Jimmy Buffett) we're going "fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see."
In the news: As AI tools get better and better, deepfakes have been getting deeper and deeper. There's an exposé in 404 Media (details below) that is the best work I've seen about the evolving practice of synthetic face swapping. Operators of Instagram accounts for AI-generated influencers are deepfaking AI model faces onto videos of real models and adult entertainers in order to promote paid subscriptions on fan sites.
The use of genuine footage (which is difficult to detect without direct comparison of original and altered videos) not only misuses the identity of the AI models but also exploits the content and likeness of the original video creators. This is a hot mess. It's also becoming extraordinarily common.
There are some benign uses of deepfakes (commercial video production, creation of party favors, parody videos, etc.), but there are far more truly evil uses. Face swapping synthetic influencers' faces onto real humans is only the beginning. This is going to get much, much worse.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
P.S. If you're wondering what you can do about deepfakes, how to detect them, or what kinds of tools you need to create them, consider joining us at our first AI for Brand Marketers Summit, powered by Brand Innovators & Shelly Palmer, hosted by Paramount Global (June 4-6 NYC).
Designed specifically for CMOs and brand marketers, this event will feature sessions and workshops offering unparalleled insights from industry leaders. You'll learn about the latest AI tools, hear from your corporate peers, and meet technologists who are reshaping the industry.
The program and attendee list are being carefully curated to ensure a focused and elite gathering. If you're interested in joining us, please request an invitation.
ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.
