I recently posted about the rise of deepfakes – images, audio, and video that are convincingly real.
I’ve heard from a few people since writing that post, that they’re struggling with navigating the feelings around deepfakes. People are asking me how to handle the emotions of this coming wave.
And the waves are already here -
The first AI-generated presidential ad ran about a week after that post. I’m not linking to it because I don’t believe fear mongering ads from any party should be circulated - but it highlights the willingness of political parties to use fake content to make their point.
Then news broke recently of Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI” leaving Google so he can talk freely about his concerns of AI development, which includes concerns about deepfake material.
I’ve been thinking about all of this a lot, because I think it’s likely to be one of the more pressing issues we face with AI, along with disruption of the job force.
So, here begins my 3-part series on strategies for navigating a world where deepfake content is increasingly more common.
In this article, I’ll discuss 6 emotional strategies to help you tackle the world. The next two will focus on mindset, and then technical strategies.
I don’t imagine anyone would want to try to implement all of the techniques below. The idea here is to find one that resonates and practice it. Then maybe add a second. Maybe later a third … slowly increasing your emotional resillience over time.
Emotional Strategies
1. Accept That Deepfakes Are Happening
Okay this might seem like an odd one to start with. It reminds me of when I was a kid and someone would tell me to “suck it up.” 🥴
Thankfully, that’s not quite what I mean here.
Expectations can drop a ticking time bomb into emotional responses. Disappointment when something didn’t go the way you wanted; surprise when something goes even better than planned.
Every time I’ve ever felt really frustrated, there’s always an expectation behind it. Always. I have yet to have an experience where that wasn’t the case. Computer problems, traffic, bad movies that should have been good, etc. There was always an expectation that the activity would go better than it did.
Sometimes with expectations, your mind starts to notice this pattern, so it says “alright fine, I’m going to expect the worst all the time, that way I’ll never be disappointed!” This often runs into bitterness though and an uptick in bumping into crappy experiences … so I don’t necessarily recommend that approach in general.
“Acceptance,” though … that’s different than setting expectations. Acceptance is about seeing what is, and not expecting it to be different.
“Acceptance” in many definitions includes consent, receiving, etc. I don’t know about you, but I don’t to condone deepfake manipulation.
What I’m referring to is more of a Buddhist definition, of being at peace with what is.
It reminds me of when I was in my early 20s, and I came home to my new dog who was ever so excited to see me. He was surrounded by shredded paper from alllll the books he’d yanked off the shelves and torn to bits. In that moment, he was happy, his experience of decimating the books long behind him. I couldn’t fix it, I couldn’t put the books back together. All I could do was greet the dog, and move the remaining books to higher shelves.
“Welp,” was about all I had in that moment. And I pet the dog.
Right now, you already know deepfakes exist, and are getting impossibly good. You also know there’s manipulative agendas out there that will use deepfakes. (They already exist, and they already do.)
We know that what we see online now has an extra dose of uncertainty.
If you feel bitterness, resentment, frustration - that’s understandable. And there may well be an expectation (”it shouldn’t be this way”) behind it. We’re not designed to like uncertainty most of the time, so being comfortable with it takes practice.
Working to accept the presence of deepfakes, and moving forward, will help make working with them easier.
It won’t always be easy, and you’ll likely circle around to frustration sometimes. That’s okay! In those moments, when you’re able, bring it back to acceptance, and continue on.
Welp.
2. Identify Why It Matters
Sometimes, before you know if something is fake or real, you’re going to encounter content that will really set you off. No amount of Buddhist accepting ANYthing is going to help. Eff that, Sonja, this sucks, and I need to know NOW if this is real or not.
When that happens, see if you can identify the root cause of your reaction.
…This one is particularly tough, because in the moment you won’t feel like having a rational plan, you’ll just want to tear shit up and/or curl up under the covers and hide. So if you can think through this course of action in advance, it may help you be able to implement it in the future.
Is it pushing a button from your past? That part of you may feel unsafe in this moment, and might need a little reassurance. … Sometimes, it might push a deep, tough button, and there’s no such thing as “a little reassurance.” Taking care of yourself, walking away from the situation, and getting the care you need is always okay.
Is it on a current topic that’s relevant to decisions you have to make in the near future? Does it impact a future purchase, experience, vote, or relationship? This is one that you’ll want to put some time into researching to find out if it’s real, so you can adjust your actions accordingly.
Do your values or beliefs feel threatened?
Do you have your own biases that are being poked at?
There are going to be times where manipulative content feels really important, right now. In all of these situations, I highly recommend you come back to your immediate surroundings.
How does this content impact this immediate moment if it’s true? Occasionally, maybe a lot! Maybe whatever’s in the content means you need to make a change right in this moment, and risk being wrong later. But often, it’s more likely that right here, right now, you’re not under threat, and can let this piece of information play out over time.
How does this content impact your medium-term future? If it doesn’t impact anything coming up. this can help you diffuse the emotional reaction.
How does this content impact your long-term future? If it does, time for some research to identify what’s true and what isn’t - but meanwhile, you can still remind yourself that right here, right now, you’re safe.
3. Self Compassion
Faked content can bring up any number of feelings, including shame, embarassment, regret, stupidity, foolishness … all those jubulent experiences.
Be kind to yourself. Mistakes are going to happen, that’s a natural part of uncertainty.
Give yourself a hug and carry on.
4. Stress Management
Alright I’m not going to dig deep into this one, because I’m sure you’ve got your own. Whatever your preferred techniques are, use ‘em.
Take a walk, do some breathing, play a video game, watch a movie, go for a drive. Etc. Do your thing, give yourself space.
Though I am going to add one to the list that’s probably not already there, that I have found useful recently: focus on something about AI that you enjoy.
Perhaps you’ve gotten into Midjourney - make some art, or cruise the #Midjourney tag somewhere in the world. Maybe you are inspired by AI developments in humanitarian aid. Go to your favorite source and read about recent developments in the field (if you can avoid whatever rough news got you stressed in the first place, that is).
I’ve found it very comforting at times to remind myself of the positive side of AI. It doesn’t negate the problems, but it can help bring balance to your experience, and your emotions.
5. Build Emotional Agility
With uncertainty comes the need to adapt.
Meditation techniques have a lot to offer here, and I don’t mean actually sitting down to meditate.
Meditation isn’t about having no thoughts or feelings. Meditation is watching them, acknowledging them, and letting them float by (my favorite metaphor is watching them float by like clouds).
In other words, it’s about not grabbing onto thoughts and feelings (and expectations) and clinging to them like the last bag of marshmallows before Labor Day weekend. (Because camping, and s’mores, and just work with me here.)
When you can let yourself feel a feeling and let it float through, let it complete itself and pass by, you open up emotional agility.
You create space for a new feeling. A new reaction. A different path.
With practice, you can even start to steer, sometimes. Even just a little bit can be the difference you need.
Once you get through the initial response, there’s more room to respond differently.
6. Create a Support Network
This could take many forms, and come together in various ways.
Maybe it’s a few trusted friends, a safe group online, or even just a partner at home.
The key is to have other people you talk to about deepfakes, and about your worries and fears.
Have someone (or someones) you can turn to when you are freaked out - chances are, they probably aren’t as freaked out as you in that moment and can help you balance. Or, if they are, you can comiserate and help balance together.
The fear that lives in silence is harder to bear than the fear that is expressed between friends. (I just made that up. Take that, ChatGPT!)
🤖🤖🤖
That’s my list for the emotional side! Do you have others you’ve used? I’d love to hear about them.
See if there’s one or two ideas above that really resonate, and try practicing them when you’re calm. Talk yourself through what it might look like to use them in practice.
It’ll make it a lot easier to use them when you’re upset.
I hope these strategies help! Coming up next in this series, I’ll look at mindset strategies for a deepfake world. See you next time! 💜🔮🧙
If you’ve found this useful, I hope you’ll share it with a friend!
This is the first time I’ve seen a really wholistic approach to something that is on the cusp of massively changing our lives. I think it’s really important to remind people that we are humans behind devices and we have to handle ourselves first and foremost.