Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse: What You Urgently Need To Know

Description

"Nina Schick is alerting us to a danger from the future that is already here." - Adam Boulton, Editor at Large, Sky News "Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse is an urgent, thoughtful and thoroughly-researched book that raises uncomfortable questions about the way that information is being distorted by states and individuals... A must-read." - Greg Williams, Editor in Chief of WIRED UK "Essential reading for any one interested about the shocking way information is and will be manipulated." - Lord Edward Vaizey "Schick's Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse is a short, sharp book that hits you like a punch in the stomach." - Nick Cohen, The Observer "Deep Fakes is an uncomfortable but gripping read, probing the way in which the internet has been flooded with disinformation and dark arts propaganda." - Jim Pickard, Chief Political Correspondent, Financial Times "A searing insight into a world so many of us find difficult to understand. I was gripped from the first page." - Iain Dale, Broadcaster "With this powerful book, Nina Schick has done us all a great public service...It's your civic duty to read it." - Jamie Susskind, author of Future Politics "Gripping, alarming and morally vital." - Ian Dunt, Host of Remainiacs Podcast Deep Fakes are coming, and we are not ready. Advanced AI technology is now able to create video of people doing things they never did, in places they have never been, saying things they never said. In the hands of rogue states, terrorists, criminals or crazed individuals, they represent a disturbing new threat to democracy and personal liberty. Deep Fakes can be misused to shift public opinion, swing Presidential elections, or blackmail, coerce, and silence individuals. And when combined with the destabilising overload of disinformation that has been dubbed 'the Infocalypse', we are potentially facing a danger of world-changing proportions. Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse is International Political Technology Advisor Nina Schick's stark warning about a future we all need to understand before it's too late. Deep Fake technology at its most insidious can currently be seen in the BBC drama series The Capture.

Nina Schick is a political commentator, advisor and public speaker, specialising in how technology is reshaping politics in the 21st century. Most recently, her work has seen her advising on the fallout generated from Russian election interference in the US (and around the world) since 2016. Nina has also advised global leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden and Anders Fogh Rasmussen (the former Secretary General of NATO). Half German and half Nepalese she speaks seven languages including German, Spanish and French and holds degrees from Cambridge University and University College London. She divides her time between London, Berlin and Kathmandu.

Schick's Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse is a short, sharp book that hits you like a punch in the stomach. - The Observer With this powerful book, Nina Schick has done us all a great public service. It's a brilliant guide to the challenges facing our information ecosystem. It's your civic duty to read it. A searing insight into a world so many of us find difficult to understand. I was gripped from the first page and read the book in one sitting. The lessons I learned from it will stay with me for a long time. Deepfakes is an uncomfortable but gripping read, probing the way in which the internet has been flooded with disinformation and dark arts propaganda dubbed by Schick as "the Infocalypse" - and how that has undermined democracies in the world. The book sketches out an alarming future where convincing fakes will make it even harder for citizens to disentangle truth from lies, and I would advise policy-makers to read it. Gripping, alarming and morally vital. Reading this book is like being ushered into a terrifying new world where nothing can be trusted. Thankfully Nina Schick guides us through it in a reassuringly old-fashioned way: with diligence, breezy storytelling, expert insight and a tried-and-tested commitment to accuracy. Those concerned with the criminal side of technology will learn from Schick's well-mounted argument. - Kirkus Reviews Deepfakes and the Infocalypse is an urgent, thoughtful and thoroughly-researched book that raises uncomfortable questions about the way that information is being distorted by states and individuals. Schick expertly outlines the key challenges that liberal democracies face to ensure the primacy of veracity and trust in public discourse. A must-read for anyone who cares about how the world is represented and an important addition to the discussion around the polarisation of contemporary politics. - Greg Williams, Editor in Chief of WIRED UK This is essential reading for any one interested about the shocking way information is and will be manipulated - essential not just for policy makers but also CEOs and corporations having to navigate this new landscape. - Lord Edward Vaizey