What’s real and what’s AI? This week on EV Rider we’re taking a slight break from EVs to explore Artificial Intelligence and what it means for you.
By now most know more AI has made its way to YouTube, websites, social media and other digital assets. It’s amazing stuff.
With just a few mouse clicks creators can generate in minutes what would have taken a legion of animators days or weeks to come up with just a few years ago. The same goes for stories and fact gathering.
For example, I created some animated motorcycle images with a few mouse clicks that are featured in the video at the top of this post, and speaking of mice, now that Mickey Mouse has entered the public domain, just about anyone can create new episodes in minutes thanks to AI. A very brief Mickey AI clip is also in the video.
I’m displaying the AI-generated Mickey image in this story and several seconds of AI-generated frames in the video as a fair use example of how easily and quickly the average person can now create material, whether it be original, or an expansion of the work of others. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Mickey Mouse, who first appeared in animated form in Steamboat Willie.
The use of AI is especially powerful for the creation of graphics, images and video, like this one showing Mickey riding an electric motorcycle.
Even more impressive – or scary – is how quickly actual life-like characters can be can be created, such as the one in the video, which it took me about 30 seconds to generate after typing in a brief script for her to read.
What are commonly referred to as “deepfakes” of politicans, celebrities and other real people are becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate from the real thing as well. You’ll also find a few brief examples of those in the video.
With all this in mind, I want to assure you that if EV Rider uses any AI, it will be made abundantly clear.
For example, if AI is ever used here on evrider.tv to write a story it will be clearly noted in the byline.
On the EV Rider YouTube channel if there is ever an occasion to use deep fake technology or realistic AI-generated synthetic media, it will be clearly noted with an Altered Content note.
How EV Rider will handle AI attribution certainly isn’t a new idea. Trustworthy media outlets have always attributed sources, authors and creators.
EV’s Editorial Policy now includes section about the potential use of AI and how it will be identified and fact checked.
It’s one thing to have fun with AI or use it to improve the reader’s or viewer’s experience, but it’s quite another to mislead. You can rest assured that’s something EV Rider will never do.