Satanic Panic Happens at Hobby Lobby Over Fake Photos

“The images were created by Jennifer Vinyard, an Austin-based pharmacy tech, using an AI image generating tool called Midjourney. Vinyard posted the pictures on Facebook, Reddit and an AI art group on June 5.” - Relevant

Discussion

I'm genuinely concerned that with advances in things like AI and deep fake videos there will come a time in the near future where it will be virtually impossible to tell if something we see is real or fake. People like this woman like to trick gullible people for laughs, but this same kind of technology could be used to create realistic propaganda, ruin reputations, and even frame people for crimes they did not commit. We need to be very careful and discerning before we believe or share anything we see on social media.

Jess

I am not as concerned. People need to stop being gullible. There is plenty of information that identifies the fakes. If people stopped for just a single second, instead of hitting a repost button, they might think, "Hmmmm... is it more reasonable that Hobby Lobby a vehemently Christian organization is selling life size satanic statues, or that maybe this might be questionable". Once you question it and do a simple Google Search for "Hobby Lobby Satanic fake", you will quickly find the information. The AI and Deep Fakes are forcing people to do what they should be doing all along. Use their brain!

I’m genuinely concerned that with advances in things like AI and deep fake videos there will come a time in the near future where it will be virtually impossible to tell if something we see is real or fake.

I see this as a real possibility. Forensic video analysis is already a thing for prosecutors, and sometimes it takes a while to determine if a video or photo is genuine. What if a video allegedly showing a presidential candidate doing or saying something nefarious comes out a few days before an election and there isn’t time to determine with confidence that it’s fake?

It could throw an election then we all find out a week later it was fake video.

There are people working on it. https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2019/06/deep-fakes-researchers-devel…; (also https://eclipseforensics.com/how-to-ensure-the-admissibility-of-video-e…)

But AIs and other tools could eventually be used to circumvent the detection tools. So it could be one of those cyclical races in the future, like we have now with malware—constant battle to keep the detection/prevention tech ahead of the evildoers.

In some ways, this would be like a return to pre-photography days. How did we do news before the camera was invented? But people will need to slowly retrain themselves not to reflexively believe their eyes when it comes to recorded media.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.