An endless AI-generated discussion between Werner Herzog and Slavoj Žižek

From the Infinite Conversation site comes an endless AI-generated chat between Werner Herzog and Slavoj Žižek. What’s the point of this AI-generated conversation? The designer explains:

By the end of 2022, it’s cheap and easy to produce AI-generated content that’s superficially good and surprisingly similar to “the real thing.” This applies to videos that look like celebrities (commonly called Deepfakes) or, as in the case of the Infinite Conversation, speeches.

This project aims to raise awareness of the ease of use of real voice synthesis tools. By now, any motivated fool can do this with a laptop in their bedroom. It alters our relationship with the media we consume online and raises questions about the importance of authoritative sources, breach of trust and credulity.

Will this technology lead to a massive proliferation of sub-optimal content? Should we just be wary of everything we see online? As new tools are developed to help identify generated content, I recommend maintaining a skeptical attitude, especially when the source/channel of information seems unreliable and when claims seem absurd or outrageous.

In the end, I don’t see this as a technical problem, but as a human problem. We all share the duty to educate future generations about the new paradigm while focusing on nurturing compassionate individuals who would not abuse these awesome powers.

As an AI optimist, I remain hopeful that we will be able to regulate ourselves, and that we will take experiences such as the Infinite Conversation for what they are: a playful way to help us imagine what our people would do. favorites, if we had unlimited access to their minds. Art and philosophy, exemplified here by Bavarian filmmaker Werner Herzog and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, can guide us while navigating these treacherous waters.

Listen to the endless Herzog-Žižek conversation here.

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