"Can Grandma read me The Wizard of Oz?" the boy asks. Soon, the sound of Grandma's voice fills the room. 

But Grandma is a deepfake. 

"Creepy." "Morbid." These were some of the reactions on Twitter after Amazon announced plans to bring back the voices of the dead as deepfakes.

At a conference, AlexaA virtual assistant technology system used by more than 100 million people.  executive Rohit PrasadPrasad is Alexa's Senior Vice President and Head Scientist.  showed a demo of the new product.

Deepfakes are produced with "deep learning" technology, which uses neural networks that mimic the human brain. Artificial intelligence (AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. ) programmes can be fed images of a person, and can then produce footage of almost anyone saying or doing anything. 

"We are unquestionably living in the golden era of AI, where our dreams and science fiction are becoming a reality," Prasad declared.

Deepfakes are on the rise. According to one report, the number of deepfakes online doubles every six months. One TikTok account featuring deepfakes of actress Margot Robbie stubbing her toe and scrubbing a floor has 1.7 million likes. 

Not everyone thinks deepfakes are the stuff of dreams. Many worry we are descending into an AI nightmare. 

Deepfakes are used in filmmaking, e-commerce and video games. But there are more sinister deepfakes too.

Criminals have used the technology to commit fraud and even superimpose unwitting victims onto pornographic images. Some fear they could be used to influence politics. 

In March, a video of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky appeared online. He told the Ukrainian army to surrender to Russian forces - or so viewers thought. The video was a deepfake.

Three years previously, then US president Donald Trump tweeted a video of Democrat politician Nancy Pelosi slurring her words. This was a "cheapfake", a video made using simpler programs. 

Sophisticated technology means deepfakes are getting better to spot.

"They take the threat of fake news even higher, as seemingly anyone can now have the ability to literally and convincingly put words in someone else's mouth," says Gil Becker, CEO of content platform Anyclip.

According to the World Economic Forum, deepfakes are increasingly going to "challenge our trust in reality".

They could be used to discredit honest politicians, or give leaders an excuse to dismiss reality as fake news.

Policymakers are searching for answers.

Many believe action cannot come soon enough.

Yes: Democracy is based on a shared understanding of the truth. But we can no longer trust our eyes and ears. In the future, the truth will be subjective, used by different tribes against each other.

No: Doctored footage is nothing new. In the world of fake news, we already know to be sceptical of what we see online. This could be the wake-up call we need to restore truth and trust to politics. 

Or... With more laws and guidance in place to regulate how they are used, deepfakes could be a blessing for a society, not a curse. They are already transforming media and entertainment for the better.