Deepfake: Unveiling the PR Conundrum

Is seeing still believing?

In this ever-evolving world of AI-deepfake technology, it soon might not be and the point in case are some of the recent events that has forced the IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to announce that the government is drafting a set of regulations to tackle the misuse, terming deepfakes as a new threat to democracy.

Bollywood actress Rashmika Mandanna, Kajol, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt have fallen prey to AI-based deepfake technology. The faces of these actresses were morphed into someone else’s using deepfake technology. This has triggered a nationwide response from actors, union ministers and even PM Narendra Modi.

Last month, even newspapers like Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta carried a photo of the successful rescue of the 41 workers stuck in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel. All three newspaper credited a news agency for the photograph.

The photo was AI-generated and created by a group called “Exclusive Minds”. Ironically, its bio on X says  it’s a “citizens’ collective fighting against misinformation and misleading content on social media”

Deepfake technology poses a significant challenge for PR practitioners, as it has the potential to undermine the trust and credibility of individuals and organizations. Deepfakes are synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. These manipulated videos or images can be incredibly convincing and difficult to detect, making it possible to create highly realistic forgeries of individuals saying or doing things they never actually said or did.

In an age where the digital and real world intertwine, deepfake technology poses a pervasive threat to the authenticity of communication. Deepfake demands a keen understanding of its mechanics and the proactive measures required to safeguard the integrity of public relations efforts.

For PR practitioners, the rise of deepfake technology means that they must be prepared to address potential crises stemming from the spread of false or misleading information. Here are some key challenges and considerations for PR practitioners in the age of deepfakes:

1. Safeguarding Brand Integrity: Deepfakes have the potential to damage the reputation of individuals or organizations by spreading false or misleading content. Therefore PR strategies must evolve too. Safeguarding brand integrity involves leveraging advanced technologies for detection, coupled with educational initiatives that empower PR professionals to discern deepfake content effectively and to be prepared to respond swiftly and decisively.

2. Crafting Authentic Narratives: Deepfake accentuates the importance of burstiness in communication. Infusing messaging with varied sentence lengths, tones, and complexities becomes a strategic advantage, creating a human fingerprint that stands resilient against the uniformity of AI-generated content.

3. Educational Imperative: Deepfake necessitates an educational imperative. To enhance human resilience, PR practitioners should look at educating themselves on the intricacies of deepfake content, empowering them to identify and mitigate risks effectively. Additionally, educating the public about the existence and potential impact of deepfakes can help to raise awareness and reduce the spread of false information.

4. Technological Vigilance: In the face of deepfake challenges, technological vigilance emerges as a defensive shield. AI-powered tools designed to detect anomalies in visual and auditory content play a pivotal role in fortifying the PR landscape against deceptive incursions.

5. Crisis Communication: In the event that a deepfake targeting an individual or an organization goes viral, PR practitioners must be prepared to mount a rapid and effective crisis communication response. This may involve issuing public statements, engaging with media outlets, and leveraging social media platforms to counter the misinformation.

6. Digital Forensics and Verification: PR practitioners may need to work with digital forensics experts to verify the authenticity of media content and to identify potential deepfakes. Developing the capability to quickly and accurately detect deepfakes will be an important skill for PR professionals.

7. Proactive Reputation Management: As deepfake technology evolves, so must PR strategies. Dynamic adaptation involves staying ahead of the curve, anticipating the next frontier of technological manipulation, and fortifying defences to withstand the challenges that lie ahead.

In the face of the deepfake revolution, PR practitioners stand at a crossroads. The path forward requires a fusion of technological prowess, human intuition, and a commitment to crafting communication that transcends the limitations of algorithms. By understanding the nuances of perplexity and burstiness, PR professionals can not only navigate the current challenges but also pave the way for a resilient and authentic future in the ever-shifting landscape of public relations.