I just watched a video from AI startup Dessa. Several of its engineers created a voice clone, perfectly mimicking the sound (tone, word choice, voice inflection…) of podcaster, comedian and MMA-commentator, Joe Rogan. Watch and listen here.
Can you tell the difference between the real Joe Rogan and the AI Joe Rogan? Are you as blown away by this AI technology as I am?
These are fascinating times. I’m a big fan of tech but, as a trial lawyer who thinks about foundation and authenticity evidentiary issues during trial, I’m concerned that many lawyers, judges and jurors, are going to be intentionally mislead by this kind of technology. People and companies are going to win and lose cases, and some will go to jail, because of fake evidence created with these AI tools.
I talked about similar technology in my 2017 blog post, “Fake News, Adobe VoCo and Authenticating Evidence” and also the positive side of using tech in trial in my 2016 post “Using Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Sensory Devices in the Courtroom!”
Even video is being altered every single day. Here’s a good example to help remind everyone that what you think you’re hearing and seeing may not actually depict the truth.
One of the reasons I agreed to be a contributing expert to our California State Bar’s “Effective Introduction of Evidence in California- Chapter 54 Electronic and Social Media Evidence” was to highlight these issues and, show lawyers how to protect the best interests of their clients. As technology gets better and better, so will the challenge of figuring out the difference between fact and fiction. The more we all know about this new AI, the better off we’ll be as a society.
I hope I’ve given you a few things to think about. Enjoy the rest of your day and make this weekend your masterpiece!
P.S. Yes, it’s really me, and not an AI bot, writing this post 😉
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Mitch Jackson is an award winning California trial lawyer. He’s also a business, legal, and digital consultant, speaker and founder of the LegalMinds Mastermind. Mitch is the author of “The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Business Owners, Professionals and Entrepreneurs.”