Deep Dive Episode 168 – Deepfakes: What, If Anything, Should Policymakers Do?

“Deepfakes” are one of the latest technologies to prompt debate about online media. Using Deepfake techniques, users can make realistic-looking fake media in which people say and/or or do things they never, in fact, said or did. Although artists, documentarians, filmmakers, and many others have used Deepfakes to produce creative, and potentially life-saving, content, Deepfakes can also be used for harm, including assaults on people’s dignity and political stability. The technology, like many other innovations before it, presents risks and opportunities.Lawmakers and academics have proposed laws to mitigate such harms. How should lawmakers approach the abusive use of Deepfakes? Can lawmakers craft legislation that limits the worst uses of Deepfakes without hampering the creation of valuable and creative Deepfake media? In this live podcast, leading experts discuss these and other questions related to this emerging technology, using Matthew Feeney's new paper on the topic, "Deepfake Laws Risk Creating More Problems Than They Solve," as a jumping-off point.Featuring:Joshua Abbott, Executive Director, Center for Law, Science and Innovation, Sandra Day O'Connor College of LawBobby Chesney, James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Texas at Austin School of LawMatthew Feeney, Director, Project on Emerging Technologies, Cato Institute[Moderator] Kathryn Ciano Mauler, Product Counsel, GoogleVisit our website – www.RegProject.org – to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.