Want to solve deepfakes? Ask citizens what to do

ACCORDING to Taiwan’s roving cyber ambassador Audrey Tang, social media resembles fire. When contained, it is like a campfire that fosters community and keeps campers warm. Left unchecked, it rages like wildfire, devastating people’s lives. How best to control it?

Around the world, politicians are struggling with how to tame the flames of online extremism, disinformation and deepfakes, now increasingly fuelled by artificial intelligence (AI).

This week, the European Union launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s xAI following public disgust at the circulation of deepfake sexualised images. If xAI is found in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act, the company faces fines of up to 6 per cent of global turnover.