🎙️ 31: Deepfake technology, Meta Llama 2, Microsoft makeup, and WorldCoin

Rick Huckstep and Shaun Weston discuss deepfake technology and look for the upsides amongst all the use-cases for misuse. Plus Worldcoin and Microsoft's Makeup for Teams.

Aug 02, 2023

Exclusive content for BTLT fans!

If you love Big Tech Little Tech and want (a) longer shows and/or (b) to see a video version of the podcast, head over to our Patreon channel to watch an extended video version of this week’s episode. Yes, that’s right, there’s a subscriber-only version of BTLT that also includes a transcript of the show.

You can’t go wrong for the price of an ice cream. 🍦

I want more ...

Tech Of The Week:

Microsoft Teams virtual makeup and WorldCoin’s silver orb

What do you think of virtual beauty filters in Microsoft Teams (a partnership with L'Oreal's Maybelline). The virtual makeup is meant to be used in online meetings under the guise of “feeling good about yourself and putting your best foot forward”. What is the potential impact on body image, mental health and online identity?

Shaun is conflicted about Microsoft adding virtual beauty filters to Microsoft Teams. L’Oreal acquired an augmented reality company called ModiFace back in 2018.

Rick’s tech is Sam Altman’s WorldCoin. Its mission is to create a global database for online identification, using iris scans to uniquely identify people. The information is stored on blockchain technology, and users receive WorldCoins, a cryptocurrency token that can be used for digital transactions as a means of confirming identity.

Tech News

Tata – the owner of Jaguar Land Rover – will invest £4bn in an electric car battery factory in the UK. It will become one of Europe's largest gigafactories. The Faraday Institution, a battery science research group, says that the UK is going to need at least five gigafactories by 2030 to meet domestic demand, and twice that number by 2040.

Amazon has closed its first till-less store in the UK, located in west London, along with two other Amazon Fresh stores. The company plans to open new outlets in the future.

A cryptocurrency project called Worldcoin has been launched by Sam Altman of OpenAI. Stare into a high-tech silver orb to have your eyes scanned and receive free crypto tokens in return.

Twitter has discarded its iconic bird logo as part of a move to rebrand the social network as X. Meanwhile, TikTok adds text-based posts.

Apple says it will remove FaceTime and iMessage from the UK rather than weaken security if government proposals are made law and acted upon. The act lets the Home Office demand security features are disabled without telling the public. Currently, there has to be a review.

The rise of deepfake – challenges and consequences

As a minimum threat, deepfake technology can be used to spread misinformation or to defame somebody. At its worst, a deepfake can fool us all into thinking world-changing catastrophe is just around the corner. It has the potential to exploit, manipulate and harm, and there are many examples – some fun, some not so fun – that demonstrate how much the technology has developed in a short time.

We talked about deepfakes in episode two. More than a year has gone by. Many of us have seen and enjoyed the Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey deepfakes. We’ve seen politicians mimicked, such as Barack Obama and Donald Trump. What’s changed in a year?

Main talking points:

Apple's development of a personal voice feature in iOS 17, where users can create their own voice and use it for various applications.
The limitations of deepfake technology in replicating human-like qualities such as comedy timing and inflections.
The potential uses of personalised voices, including making phone calls or speaking in different languages.
The discussion on Apple's involvement in AI and the expectation that they will incorporate AI advancements into Siri.
The TV series Black Mirror and an episode centred around deepfake technology.
The Spanish reality TV show called Deep Fake Love, which incorporates deepfake videos to test contestants' faithfulness.
The question of provenance and how to verify the authenticity of videos. Could blockchain technology help?
The concern over the spread of misinformation and the importance of being critical and fact-checking information.