Last weekend, the Internet was obsessed with a picture of Pope FrancisThe head of the Catholic Church since 2013. An Argentinian, he is the first non-European to hold the position since the 8th Century.. It showed him wearing a white puffer jacket. Critics raved about his fashionable get-up.

All was not as it seems. The "Balenciaga Pope"¹ was a deepfake: a false image generated by AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. . We had all been taken for fools. 

Many think this is only the beginning. On Wednesday, over 1,000 tech industry figures - including Twitter owner Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'. and Apple founder Steve Wozniak - signed an open letter calling for all AI labs to pause their research.

The letter stated: "Recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one - not even their creators - can understand, predict or reliably control".

There are many reasons to be alarmed. One is AI's ability to spread misinformationIncorrect or misleading information unintentionally presented as fact. It can be contrasted with disinformation or deliberate lies.. Chatbots could spread conspiracy theoriesTheories that explain world events by blaming shady groups of powerful people operating in secret. Some conspiracy theories have a basis in fact, but many more of them are completely invented. What is more, they often play on dangerous prejudices such as antisemitism. It's worth being especially cautious and critical when you come across accounts that ascribe enormous agency to small and secretive groups.. Election campaigners could fill the internet with deepfakes of opponents. 

Last week, a right-wing influencer created a fake video of Joe BidenThe president of the USA, elected in 2020. ordering US soldiers to Ukraine. He said it was a fake. But many who shared it did not. The same happened with an AI-generated image of Donald TrumpAn American television personality who became US president from 2016 to 2020, and will become president again in January 2025. being arrested.

Imagine this power in the hands of an authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. government. According to misinformation expert Gordon Crovitz: "Crafting a new false narrativeAn account of connected events; a story. can now be done at dramatic scale, and much more frequently."

Others think we worry too much. Developers can limit how AI can be used. Governments can restrict them.

And AI-generated text and images are far from perfect. Deepfake videos do not quite move in the same way as people. The Balenciaga Pope was full of small mistakes. Anyone who looked at the picture closely would catch them out.

Very: Social media was created to share photographs with friends. It led to cyberbullying and conspiracy theories. AI is much more powerful. There is every reason to think the effects will be even worse.

Not much: We were fooled by the Balenciaga Pope. But when it comes to serious matters like political campaigns, people are much more careful. As long as we keep our wits about us, we will be fine.

Or... It is too late. AI has already become incredibly powerful. No-one, from governments to tech companies, has lifted a finger to stop it. Rather than panic, we need to accept this new reality and adapt.