Deepfake and the social consequences of the mechanization of distrust

Abstract

The article originates from previous works that analyzed the crisis of trust in society and how this would be driven, in part, by advances such as blockchain, a security technology based on Artificial Intelligence algorithms. By mechanizing trust, blockchain paradoxically reduces its importance or even makes it unnecessary as an element of the bonds between two human parts. Such innovation contributes to gradually change the dynamics of the social system from interpersonal trust to a society of control, replacing trust between individuals with security technologies and data concentration in the hands of a few – in particular, big techs and state bureaucracies. Deepfake is an audiovisual manipulation that is also based on the algorithmic technology of deep learning and machine learning. However, the purpose of deepfake is to create alternative – and purposefully false – representations and perceptions of reality, effectively mechanizing the distrust between human beings. This text seeks to assess, from the previous work, the consequences of deepfake for human relations and society in the context of the crisis of trust.