1 minute read
Synthetic Media
3RD YEAR ON THE LIST
As advances in synthetic media technology make it easier to render realistic looking human likenesses, it’s getting harder to tell if the person you’re looking at is a person at all.
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KEY INSIGHT
Synthetic media consists of algorithmically generated digital content, including audio, video, deepfakes, virtual characters and environments, and more. The technology will become an integral aspect of future XR experiences in the metaverse.
EXAMPLES
Synthetic media is created using artificial intelligence. Algorithms use an initial set of data to learn—people, voices, photos, objects, motions, videos, text, and other types of media. The end result is realistic-looking and realistic-sounding artificial digital content. Voice clones, dynamic voice and facial skins, unique gestures, videos, and interactive bots are all part of the ecosystem. Synthetic media can be used for practical reasons, such as generating characters in animated movies, creating avatars for use on digital platforms and in the metaverse, or acting as stand-ins for live action talent. The diverse potential applications of synthetic media have attracted entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who has made significant investments in the sector through companies like AI video generation platform Synthesia and Alethea AI, which is combining aspects of synthetic media and ledger-backed token technology to create what it’s calling “intelligent” NFTs, unique AI-powered avatars that the company will host in its metaverse platform.
DISRUPTIVE IMPACT
Watch for synthetic media to edge more into the mainstream in 2022, representing new opportunities and risks for businesses; reshaping the entertainment, news, service, social and communications landscape; and providing dynamic new forms of content in the nascent metaverse.
EMERGING PLAYERS
• Hour One • Wolf3D • Samsung Next • Loudly • Endel • Replica Studios • Lovo • Modulate • Rephrase.ai • Synthesia • Alethea AI • Carv3d • Animatico • Narrativa • DeepNatural • Baidu Research
That is already a real-world harm that deepfakes are having, even before they become ubiquitous. People are starting to question the authenticity and veracity of authentic media, which is pretty devastating in a world where trust in digital media is absolutely essential for society and politics functioning.
