Deep Fakes - Between Nudging and Manipluating

Generative AI is creating digital replicas on an unprecedented scale, and these are being manipulated and misused. Deep fakes are an issue in many areas, and it is already clear that the technology will continue to develop in this area in the future and could play a role in more and more sectors of society. The banking and finance sector, the education sector, but especially the healthcare sector, are coming under increasing pressure. Although healthcare is one of the most regulated industries, based on the principles of trust and precision, the risks of counterfeiting are still underestimated. Digital fakes in their current form can easily tempt patients to follow unproven and untested treatments that could cost lives. There is, therefore, an urgent need to understand and address the issues arising from the use of deep fakes in healthcare to avoid confusion, mistrust and compromised health outcomes. At the same time, deep fakes pose larger epistemological and ethical questions.