Last weekend, the Internet obsessed over 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 the pontiffAnother term for the Pope. It derives from the name for the highest ranking priests in the In ancient Roman religion, each devoted to a different god. striding forward in a giant white puffer jacket, coffee cup in hand. Commentators squealed over his urbane get-up.

All was not as it seems, however. 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.

They believe that AI has become a real life Frankenstein's monster.² 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, many reasons to be alarmed. One is that the rapid growth of AI threatens numerous jobs. Another is the risk of extreme cyberattacks. AI could be used to steal sensitive information or destroy networks.

But perhaps the most immediately worrying is the ability of AI to spread misinformationIncorrect or misleading information unintentionally presented as fact. It can be contrasted with disinformation or deliberate lies.. Chatbots could imitate people and spread conspiracy theories. Election campaigners could fill the internet with fake videos smearing 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 declared 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 narrative can now be done at dramatic scale, and much more frequently."

A dictator could hire a team of workers to churn out deepfakes, or use an AI to fill the internet with false news stories. As Journalist Misha Zelinsky writes: "If citizens can no longer understand what is true or false, then democracies simply can't function."³

This process might have already begun. Last year, a video emerged in which a deepfake of UkrainianUkraine is an eastern European country that borders Russia. The country was part of the Soviet Union until it became independent in 1991. In recent years it has come into conflict with Russia, which seized parts of its territory in 2014. president Volodymyr Zelensky asked his army to surrender. It was quickly revealed as fake. But the next one might not be.

Others believe we worry too much. AI software can be programmed to defend against fakes. ChatGPT-3 went crazy and wrote offensive messages; ChatGPT-4 has been engineered to avoid these outcomes. Developers can limit how AI can be used. Governments can regulate against misuse.

AI-generated text and images are never perfect. Deepfake videos do not quite move in the same way as people. The Balenciaga Pope's crucifixA cross with an image or representation of Jesus on it. hung by only one side of a chain, his eyelid melted into his glasses, and his coffee cup was held incorrectly. Anyone who looked at the picture closely would see these mistakes.

The trouble is that few people look at online images for very long. And AI is becoming more powerful day by day.

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.