Digital, Commerce & Creative 101: Is This For Real? The Legal Reality Behind Deepfakes

Did this really happen? Did they really say that? The emergence of deepfakes, which are videos, audio or images generated by artificial intelligence to mimic real people have quickly evolved from a novel technological curiosity to a sophisticated tool pushing the bounds of what is ethically and legally acceptable.

Deepfake technology offers boundless creative possibilities. Imagine having your favourite book or podcast narrated by your beloved celebrity in your native language, or witnessing the resurrection of long-gone characters on screen.

As this technology matures at an astonishing pace, the line between fake and authentic content becomes increasingly blurred. In a year when half of the world (including the US) is holding elections, deepfakes have ignited a fresh wave of concerns. Earlier this year, Scarlett Johansson called for legislation to outlaw AI deepfakes, after OpenAI released a chatbot that sounded eerily like her. Meanwhile, a fake recording of a