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AI Disinformation: Keeping Your C-Suite and Business Safe

Posted by Debbie Camper on July 26, 2023

Have you seen an uncanny piece of fake content created with generative artificial intelligence technology? Maybe it’s an AI generated image or video inserting a beloved actor into a movie; or even a funny clip of a politician saying something ridiculous. These uses are benign, but it’s not much of a leap to see how this synthetic content can lead to harm.

AI disinformation may create chaos in politics, news media, international relations or the business world. Thieves could even use synthetic video or audio to steal information or gain access to privileged information, in an advanced form of phishing. It seems futuristic, but it’s already happened.

As generative AI technology grows in power and potential, it’s important for your business to keep an eye on the growing risks — but also think of the positive ways technology can protect and reinforce your brand.

The Dangers of AI Disinformation

The risks of fake video content created with a generative AI system aren’t a niche concern or far-off prediction. The Department of Homeland Security has released a report warning about the dangers of AI disinformation, explaining that deepfake video and audio content is just one part of the synthetic media ecosystem.

According to the DHS, the real novel risk associated with modern deceptive content comes from how easy it is to make these materials. While there is a long tradition of attacks using disinformation and fake media, the rise of generative AI models has given threat actors easy access to repeatable realistic fake content creation methods.

The New York Times reported that researchers studying deepfake technology are concerned about how falsified information will affect the way people consume news media. As realistic false information spreads, it may be increasingly hard for audiences to tell disinformation apart from facts.

While it’s natural to focus on the geopolitical danger of generative AI disinformation technology, your brand may need to confront similar problems on a smaller scale. Namely, you’ll need a strategy to cope with the possibility that attackers will use an AI tool to create fake media featuring the members of your C-suite.

Bank of America highlighted a few specific deepfake dangers for companies. For example, malicious actors can launch disinformation campaigns designed to damage corporate or individual executive reputations. By the time the truth comes out, the business may have already lost value. Attackers can also use AI generated image or voice technology to slip past verification systems, requesting funds or gaining illicit access to networks.

Facing the issue of deepfakes head-on requires effort, but it’s far better than being taken by surprise as AI technology becomes increasingly powerful and accessible.

High-Tech Problems, High-Tech Solutions

So, what should your defensive strategies look like in the age of synthetic video and audio?

One of the ways to defend against AI generated disinformation is to train your employees to recognize it and have a crisis communications plan in place. This means being ready with flexible responses that address a variety of dangerous scenarios, treating fake content as a standard risk factor — because in today’s tech-infused landscape, it is.

Maximizing your effectiveness may also mean using more powerful technology for your real media releases. If you have a sound, effective video strategy, it will be harder for malicious actors to compromise your reputation with an AI tool.

A few high-tech solutions for your legitimate communications strategy include:

• Augmented reality and holographic presence: While attackers are quickly mastering the art of fake image and video creation, you can get your message across in a more impressive style. Holographic video and AR are exciting, hard-to-replicate communication methods for the C-suite.
• Secure large file movement: Producing high-quality video means storing and moving large files. If this information is unprotected, it could turn into a source of raw material for attackers to use when training deepfake AI algorithms. Fortunately, a secure, cloud-based file transfer solution can defend your raw video and audio data.

Technology is your friend as well as a potential enemy. Generative AI models aren’t just for disinformation. They can also serve as an efficiency-building tool for your video production teams, provided you’ve embraced a tech-infused workflow.

Keep Up with the Changes

Staying up to date on the latest digital trends is essential, both for content production and defense against newly developed attacks. What’s the surest way to gain access to technology in corporate media? You can gain instant access to advanced capabilities by working with a team of video experts.

When you strike up a video production partnership, you’re immediately caught up to the state of the art, because these professionals’ role is to constantly bring the latest practices into their own work. In the age of AI system risk — and potential — this is a more important consideration than ever.

Read our eBook to learn much more about AI, security and video content today.