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DSC Weekly 7 March 2023 – Repetitions of History: Can You Trust Your Eyes (or Ears)?

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DSC Weekly 7 March 2023 – Repetitions of History: Can You Trust Your Eyes (or Ears)?

Repetitions of History: Can You Trust Your Eyes (or Ears)?

We find ourselves in a similar conversation today that occurred in the 1880s when photography became widespread. Artists and critics derided photography because it lacked “that refined feeling and sentiment which animate the productions of a man of genius.” They believed photography lacked a creative aspect, there was no soul in it. Does this sound familiar? AI-generated images are currently described in the same way.

As time went on, photography became more popular despite the initial backlash from the art community. The artistry in photography was not in the replication of a realistic scene, but rather in the composition chosen by the photographer. We are still trying to find where the artistry lies in AI generation.

Part of the identity of early photography was that it was more representative of reality than a painting could be. Intrinsic trust in the medium allowed the “spirit photography” grift to permeate popular culture. Famous writers like Arthur Conan Doyle, of Sherlock Holmes fame, even made a case for its legitimacy. As technologically savvy 21st-century people, we know better. The Cottingley Fairies, as depicted above, were fake, and today it’s hard to believe they fooled anyone. Doyle published these photos believing they were legitimate, despite his contemporary experts having their doubts.

This leads us to today. Widely available programs like Adobe Photoshop have been on the market for decades and we understand that faking images is easy. Video is harder due to the complexity of moving objects and lighting, but Hollywood has been fooling moviegoers for decades with practical effects and CGI. But still, we are aware of these tools and their ability to fool our eyes. What about our ears? Voice cloning tools use machine learning algorithms to parse speech and recreate voice and speech patterns with incredible accuracy. Political leaders have hundreds of recorded hours of speech and it’s surprisingly easy to clone their voices. A popular trend is to make videos where Presidents Biden, Trump, and Obama are talking like a group of friends on a call. One depicts a late-night heart-to-heart between the three of them. While harmless in spoof videos, it’s already used to spread false narratives for political gain. In 50 years, will the next generation look back in amazement at these relatively primitive voice clones and how easily they fooled us?


Scott Thompson
Associate Editor

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DSC Weekly 7 March 2023 – Repetitions of History: Can You Trust Your Eyes (or Ears)?
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