Digital Smarts - Deepfake Queen Elizabeth Makes Appearance Warning About Misinformation
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If you’re seeing double, don’t adjust your prescription. Queen Elizabeth II’s annual Christmas message to the United Kingdom was followed by alternative remarks from a digitally created ‘deepfake’ monarch meant to warn about the dangers of misinformation. After the real queen delivered remarks on the BBC and ITV, the deepfake aired on Channel 4 in a five-minute segment hitting on hot-button royal family issues. The lookalike queen also tried her hand at a TikTok dance challenge. Despite the silliness, the stunt was meant as a warning about the dangers of fake news, particularly as delivered through digitally manipulated media.
“If there is a theme to my message today, it is trust,” said the fake queen in the clip. “Trust in what is genuine and what is not.” Earlier this year, Facebook banned deepfake videos to stem the spread of misinformation ahead of the US presidential election, while Microsoft launched a program designed to give a “confidence score” on whether a video has been digitally manipulated.