Deepfakes and manipulated realities

To have seen something with one’s own eyes – at least for people whose perception is not clouded by drugs or delusions – was considered the litmus test for reality and truth. In the age of embellished realities, manipulated photos and videos, however, the question arises whether we still can trust our own eyes. Thanks to image editing software and artificial intelligence, sound, images and videos can now be manipulated in an almost invisible way. Whether it’s reality being reproduced or something artificial being constructed can hardly be discerned any more.

The interdisciplinary study will assess the effects of digital manipulation of sound, image and video material as well as deepfakes.