<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Synthetic media – defined as text, audio, images, and video content or entire 2D or 3D environments generated by AI-enabled tools – are currently at the center of public attention. While benevolent applications of such technologies abound, the negatives attract significantly more debate. While some of such uses tap into existing fears of disinformation and related threats, others pertain to qualitatively new harms, such as non-consensual synthetic pornography. Of particular note is synthetic media’s capacity to democratize content creation, for better or worse. Ultimately, such concerns lead to calls for policing synthetic media in terms of its automatic detection and removal. Nevertheless, such reliance on technological solutions has at least two undesirable effects: first, further concentration of power in the hands of online platforms and other technology companies and, second, ignorance of the underlying causes of nefarious uses of synthetic media. In this sense, generation of harmful content is best seen not as a standalone problem but as a symptom of underlying deeper – cultural – trends. As part of seeking a solution, this article traces some of the roots of nefarious synthetic content, ranging from non-consensual pornography to disinformation to toxic masculinity cultures and the insecurities atttendant to it.</p>
</abstract>

Synthetic media – defined as text, audio, images, and video content or entire 2D or 3D environments generated by AI-enabled tools – are currently at the center of public attention. While benevolent applications of such technologies abound, the negatives attract significantly more debate. While some of such uses tap into existing fears of disinformation and related threats, others pertain to qualitatively new harms, such as non-consensual synthetic pornography. Of particular note is synthetic media’s capacity to democratize content creation, for better or worse. Ultimately, such concerns lead to calls for policing synthetic media in terms of its automatic detection and removal. Nevertheless, such reliance on technological solutions has at least two undesirable effects: first, further concentration of power in the hands of online platforms and other technology companies and, second, ignorance of the underlying causes of nefarious uses of synthetic media. In this sense, generation of harmful content is best seen not as a standalone problem but as a symptom of underlying deeper – cultural – trends. As part of seeking a solution, this article traces some of the roots of nefarious synthetic content, ranging from non-consensual pornography to disinformation to toxic masculinity cultures and the insecurities atttendant to it.

Technology as a Threat or a Solution? The Challenges of Responding to Synthetic Media

Associate Professor, Dr., Vytautas Magnus University

PhD Candidate, Vytautas Magnus University

Project Coordinator, Vytautas Magnus University

Baltic Journal of Law & Politics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Synthetic media – defined as text, audio, images, and video content or entire 2D or 3D environments generated by AI-enabled tools – are currently at the center...

Technology as a Threat or a Solution? The Challenges of Responding to Synthetic Media

Published Online: Feb 26, 2024

Page range: 1 - 22

Received: May 23, 2023

Accepted: Oct 26, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bjlp-2023-0010

Keywords
Algorithmic governance, disinformation, synthetic pornography, technological solutionism, toxic masculinity

© 2023 Ignas Kalpokas et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Technology as a Threat or a Solution? The Challenges of Responding to Synthetic Media

Published Online: Feb 26, 2024

Page range: 1 - 22

Received: May 23, 2023

Accepted: Oct 26, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bjlp-2023-0010

KeywordsAlgorithmic governance, disinformation, synthetic pornography, technological solutionism, toxic masculinity

© 2023 Ignas Kalpokas et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Algorithmic governance, disinformation, synthetic pornography, technological solutionism, toxic masculinity