Barack Obama

Political World Braces for The Next Generation of Fake News

The issue was thrust into the national spotlight last month when Buzzfeed partnered with the filmmaker Jordan Peele to create a video of former President Barack Obama

Have you ever wanted to manipulate the facial expressions of political leaders or copy a politicians voice to make them say exactly what you want? thanks to new technology, now you can. 

The rapid advancement of audio and video manipulation tools has a number of lawmakers, technology experts and campaign consultants concerned about what the future of "fake news" will look like, NBC News reported. And it doesn’t take much imagination to see the disruptive impact an authentic looking or sounding piece of media could have on politics, diplomacy, the economy and beyond. 

The issue was thrust into the national spotlight last month when Buzzfeed partnered with the filmmaker Jordan Peele to create a video of former President Barack Obama appearing to deliver a public service announcement about the potential impact of manipulated media. Only it wasn’t Obama. Instead it was Peele’s impersonation of Obama.

The video showcases both the potential and the limits of where the technology stands. A casual observer could be forgiven at first for mistaking the video for a genuine presidential message, especially if watching on a mobile device. A closer look is less impressive, but it may not be long before the signs of tampering become nearly impossible to pick up with the untrained eye.

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