Image: Netflix
When you thought all reality shows in the world were made up, the producers at Netflix came along and pulled a new one out of a hat. Under normal circumstances, the appearance of a reality show here would not be news, but this case is special because it anticipates a problem of our societies that is no longer a matter of the future but of the present: deepfakes.
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In the new Netflix reality show entitled “False Love” the contestants compete against the technology of deepfakes. For those of you who have never heard of it, deepfake is an artificial intelligence technique that allows you to edit images and videos to show things that didn’t actually happen. Although what we see on the screen is fake, it is very difficult to tell with the naked eye that it is not something real.
Juanra Gonzalo, General Manager of the production company that designed this format, explained the role that the famous deepfakes will play: “In a world where the advent of artificial intelligence is revolutionizing everything, at Cuarzo Producciones we are one step closer to that world .” This universe through to entertainment on television from the hands of Netflix. Fake love presents a new scenario in couple relationships where trust can be destroyed by images that may or may not be real. The big question is whether they trust what their eyes see or what their heart tells them to do.
Without going into detail about how this program strikes me, the underlying reasoning it prompts may be interesting. Deepfakes are the order of the day: we see them on famous actors, on politicians and even on the ordinary people around us. So we must start taking this threat seriously before it’s too late.