Unleash your inner da Vinci with these art and science drawing lessons
Learn how to draw realistic figures for comic books, anatomy courses, and more.
- Masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper followed countless hours of anatomical studies.
- Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by the human form.
- The Complete Creative Art & Science of Drawing Bundle teaches you how to draw human bodies, heads, and more.
Fans of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are captivated by Leonardo da Vinci's exceptional eye for human forms. Those masterpieces followed countless hours of anatomical studies. Da Vinci was fascinated by the human form, most famously expressed in his classic sketch The Vitruvian Man.
There are many ways of capturing human figures through drawing, from precise anatomical sketches to essences of characteristics. The Complete Creative Art & Science of Drawing Bundle will teach you how to draw a wide range of human bodies, heads, movement, perspective, and much more.
In this 12-course bundle, you'll learn how to draw 3D objects that appear to occupy space. A human figure drawing course instructs you on the basics of anatomical perspective. From there, you can home in on heads, one of the most challenging aspects of the human body to draw.
Perhaps you're not that interested in photorealism. That's fine; there's a course on dynamic superheroes that will prepare you to create the comic book that's been in your head. Or, you can forget bodies altogether. Maybe you're more interested in textures and patterns. This bundle has you covered in that aspect as well. 3D objectives and environments? Check.
No drawing bundle would be complete without a course on animals. In 31 lessons, you'll be given the tools to create the best cat memes around. Two courses on shading will also help you master depth. And if you're intrigued by digital drawing, a master class in creating fantasy art in Manga Studio 5 is included as well. In other words, you'll be well on your way to calling yourself an artist.
The Complete Creative Art & Science of Drawing Bundle is on sale now for $39.99, a 96% discount from the regular cost of $1,172.
Price subject to change.
More from the Big Think Shop
- Work-from-home accessories to keep you productive
- DIY projects to keep you entertained indoors
- New skills you can learn without leaving home
When you buy something through a link in this article or from our shop, Big Think earns a small commission. Thank you for supporting our team's work.
More From Big Think
Related Articles
VR experiments manipulate how people feel about coffee
A new study looks at how images of coffee's origins affect the perception of its premiumness and quality.
April 11, 2021
Credit: Escobar / Petit / Velasco, Frontiers in Psychology
Surprising Science
<p>Are coffee consumers influenced by the imagery and story around the production of the drink? Such was one of the central questions of a new <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586983/full" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">study</a> that explored the power of marketing on how "premium" aficionados consider coffee to be. </p><p>The researchers set out to explore whether the origins of the coffee can affect the perception of its quality in the minds of the drinkers. In particular, they focused on the concept of terroir, the special characteristics conferred upon the coffee by the specific terrain in which it was grown. </p><p>"Terroir is more than a mere geographical link between product and land," write the authors. "It relates to the idea that products are a unique expression of different environmental and sociocultural characteristics of a specific place." Thus, focusing a customer's attention on the environment in which the coffee was grown might make the product seem more authentic and of better quality.</p><p>Therefore, the researchers examined the effect of images on the coffee-drinking experience in three experiments. The study was carried out by the food scientist Francisco Barbosa Escobar from Aarhus University in Denmark and marketing experts Olivia Petit from the Kedge Business School in Marseille, France, and Carlos Velasco from the BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, Norway. Incidentally, Norwegians are among the world's top coffee consumers, with an average Norwegian adult consuming around 4 cups of coffee a day, reports<a href="https://www.ssb.no/utenriksokonomi/artikler-og-publikasjoner/kaffeavhengige-nordmenn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Statistics Norway</a>.</p><p>The first experiment involved 770 non-expert participants from the UK. They were shown online images and descriptions of four different specialty coffees, traded by a Norwegian coffee company. The researchers found that coffees with pictures of farms were rated higher in premiumness by the subjects than coffees with pictures of cities.</p><p>For the second and third experiments, the study used virtual reality environments of Times Square in New York City and a farm in Kenya as well as a control setting of a white room. The second experiment engaged 143 non-expert participants recruited via a behavioral studies platform at the BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, Norway. The participants were asked to smell a sample of quality ground coffee from Kenya while at the same time traversing a virtual reality atmosphere. The subjects were then asked to rate the coffee. </p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzOTYxMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzM1OTM3Mn0.Bo8fM6zWiMO6cz0q8sgWy94OKPq48Q18W3gKnvB3cd0/img.jpg?width=980" id="ef190" width="660" height="1339" data-rm-shortcode-id="0ee1c7ccc92b9b1ec616aebb7fa00ff7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..."> Image (A) shows the instruments used in Experiment 2: Oculus GO virtual reality (VR) headset and sample coffee bag. The other panels show the VR environments used in the study - (B) farm, (C) city, and (D) control.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Credit: Escobar / Petit / Velasco, Frontiers in Psychology</small></p><p><br></p><p>Compared to the control (white room), subjects in the farm VR atmosphere rated the coffee as more acidic. Conversely, subjects rated coffee as sweeter when inside the control VR atmosphere compared to the city VR atmosphere. Furthermore, coffee was considered more premium when subjects were in the farm VR atmosphere compared to the control, but there was no difference in premiumness score between farm and city.</p><p>For the third experiment, the research team involved 34 people who were professionals in the coffee industry. They were asked to taste and score Kenyan coffee while being in the same city and farm VR environments used in the previous experiment. The results revealed a strong effect of atmosphere on how much the experts enjoyed their experience, with a much greater preference for the farm setting versus the control environment of a white room. </p><p>But the different VR atmospheres had little effect on how the experts rated the premiumness of the coffee. The researchers believe that "given their specialized knowledge, coffee professionals examined more objective attributes of the coffee and could discriminate intrinsic factors relevant for the assessment of the coffee from irrelevant extrinsic cues."</p><p>The researchers think their results can lead to developing more immersive marketing experiences in virtual reality, which could be groundbreaking in many industries. A premium experience can lead to customers paying premium prices.</p>
Keep reading
Show less
Godzilla vs. Kong: A morphologist chooses the real winner
Ultimately, this is a fight between a giant reptile and a giant primate.
April 10, 2021
Surprising Science
The 2021 film “Godzilla vs. Kong" pits the two most iconic movie monsters of all time against each other. And fans are now picking sides.
<p>Even the most fantastical creatures have some basis in scientific reality, so the natural world is a good place to look to better understand movie monsters. <a href="https://www.formorphology.com/">I study</a> functional morphology – how skeletal and tissue traits allow animals to move – and evolution in extinct animals. I am also a huge fan of monster movies. Ultimately, this is a fight between a giant reptile and a giant primate, and there are relative biological advantages and disadvantages that each would have. The research I do on morphology and biomechanics can tell us a lot about this battle and might help you decide – #TeamGodzilla or #TeamKong? </p><h2>Larger than life</h2><p>First it's important to acknowledge that both Kong and Godzilla are definitely far beyond the realms of biological possibility. This is due to sheer size and the laws of physics. Their hearts couldn't pump blood to their heads, they would have temperature regulation problems and it would take too long for nerve signals from the brain to reach distant parts of the body – <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-movie-size-too-big-2019-5">to name just a few issues</a>.</p><p>However, let's assume that somehow Godzilla and Kong are able to overcome these size limitations – perhaps because of their radiation exposure they have distinctive mutations and characteristics. Based on how they look on the big screen, let's explore the observable differences that might prove useful in a fight.</p><h2>Kong: the best of ape and human</h2><p>At first glance, Kong is a colossal primate - but he's not simply a giant gorilla.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzODQ2Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDc3NDM4NX0.16lYmKa-rUc-DYeoYLOp3I-B0Cwmsfh1CMdar9AsaJk/img.jpg?width=980" id="d466d" width="800" height="1200" data-rm-shortcode-id="1eb26a54f1eb117553aad0ef96991a9a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Kong has a mix of both gorilla and humanlike physical traits.">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Cliff/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY</small></p>
<p>One of the most striking things about Kong is his upright, bipedal stance – he mostly walks on two legs, unlike any other living nonhuman apes. This ability could suggest close evolutionary relationship to the only living upright ape, humans – or his upright stance could be the result of <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/convergent_evolution.htm">convergent evolution</a>. Either way, like us, Kong has thick muscular legs geared toward walking and running, and large free arms with grasping hands, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.04.001">enabling him to use tools</a>.<br></p><p>Humanity's bipedal, upright posture is unique in the animal kingdom and provides a slew of biomechanical abilities that Kong might share. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9416">human torsos are highly flexible</a> and particularly good at rotation. This feature – in addition to our loose shoulder girdle – makes <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-humans-became-the-best-throwers-on-the-planet-131189">humans the best throwers</a> in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0107">the animal kingdom</a>. Throwing is helpful in a fight, and Kong could probably <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12267">throw with the best of them</a>.</p><p>Kong is also, of course, massive. He absolutely dwarfs the largest known primate, an extinct orangutan relative called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23150"><em>Gigantopithecus</em></a> that was a bit bigger than modern gorillas.</p><p>Kong does have many gorillalike attributes as well, including long muscular arms, a short snout with large canine teeth, and a tall sagittal crest – a ridge of bone on his head that would be the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12609">anchor point for some exceptionally strong jaw muscles</a>.</p><p>Strong, agile, comfortable on land and with the unparalleled ability to use tools and throw, Kong would be a brutal force in a fight.</p><p><br></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzODQ3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzY3MjE3MX0.nLpABTQui6xLmJ0yHpTARYZjp0joqNeKb6MrY5f6PAc/img.jpg?width=980" id="6dc96" width="800" height="867" data-rm-shortcode-id="064cef235fb2d309bff52f49c7daf6e0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Godzilla's upright posture is unique among lizards and dinosaurs. Figure depicts what he'd look like with a dinosaur posture.">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Kenneth Carpenter/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA</small></p>
<p><br></p><h2>Godzilla: An aquatic lizard to be reckoned with</h2><p>Godzilla appears to be a giant, semiaquatic reptile. Like Kong, Godzilla has the traits of a few different species.</p><p>Recent Godzilla movies show him decently mobile on land, but seemingly much more comfortable in the water despite his lack of overt aquatic features. Interestingly, Godzilla is depicted with gills on his neck – a trait that land vertebrates lost after <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icm055">they emerged from the sea about 370 million years ago</a>. Given Godzilla's terrestrial features, it's likely that his species has land-dwelling reptile ancestors and reevolved a mostly aquatic lifestyle – kind of like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2005.0406">sea turtles</a> or sea snakes, which can actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(75)90387-4">absorb oxygen through their skin</a> in water. Godzilla may have uniquely reevolved gills.</p><p>Godzilla's tail is what really separates him from Kong. It is massive, and anchored and moved by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.21290">huge muscles attached to his legs, hips and lower back</a>. Dinosaurs like <em>Tyrannosaurus rex</em> stood horizontally and used their tails for balance and to help them walk and run. Godzilla, in contrast, stands vertically and keeps his tail low to the ground, probably for a different type of balance. This vertical posture is unique for a two-legged reptile and more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0381">resembles a standing kangaroo</a>. Godzilla stands on two muscular, pillarlike legs similar to those of a sauropod dinosaur. These would provide stability and help support his gargantuan mass but would also bolster the strength of his tail.</p><p>In addition to his powerful tail, Godzilla carries three rows of sharp spikes going down his back, thick scaly skin, a relatively small head full of carnivorous teeth and free arms with grasping hands, all built onto a muscular body. Taken together, Godzilla is a terrifying and intimidating adversary.</p><p><br></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzODQ4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODQzOTQ1N30.cO7kEO9SJ3rrahKmQ22lmyqnCyNUv5WINKzBhtdieAM/img.jpg?width=980" id="585d0" width="1118" height="1600" data-rm-shortcode-id="0ff6064d58a66b2ef4456fe61af8c8bf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Tim Simpson/Flickr, CC BY-NC</small></p><div style="display: none;"><img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzODQ4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODQzOTQ1N30.cO7kEO9SJ3rrahKmQ22lmyqnCyNUv5WINKzBhtdieAM/img.jpg?width=980" id="585d0" width="1118" height="1600" data-rm-shortcode-id="5df8e29f86a5dfd40012d79c4c8d8948" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Kong is faster and could use tools, but Godzilla is stronger and has armored skin. "></div>
<p><br></p><h2>Ready, fight!</h2><p>So now that we've looked a little closer at how Godzilla and Kong are built, let's imagine who might emerge victorious in battle.</p><p>Though Kong is a little bit smaller than Godzilla, both are more or less comparably massive in size and neither has a clear advantage here. So what about their fighting abilities? </p><p>Godzilla would likely favor his robust tail for both offense and defense – much like modern-day large lizards that <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2017.2299">use their strong tails as whips</a>. Scale up that strength to Godzilla's size, and that tail becomes a lethal weapon – which he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO_utO644sk&ab_channel=Gigan2004">has used before</a>.</p><p>However, Kong is more comfortable on land, faster and more agile, can use his strong legs to jump, and possesses much stronger arms than Godzilla – Kong probably packs a walloping punch. And as an ape, Kong would also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030380">likely use tools to some degree</a> and might even capitalize on his throwing ability.</p><p>Both would have a gnarly bite, with Kong likely getting a slight advantage. However, Godzilla's bite is by no means weak, and all of his teeth are flesh-piercing, similar to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.05.025">crocodile</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1666/0094-8373-35.4.525">monitor lizard</a> teeth.</p><p>On defense, Godzilla has the edge, with thick scaly skin and sharp spikes. He might even act like a porcupine, turning his back to a rapidly approaching threat. However, Kong's superior agility on land should be able to offer him some protection as well.</p><p>I will admit I am #TeamGodzilla, but it's very close. I may give a slight edge to Kong in broad terrestrial battle ability, but Godzilla's general mass, defense and tail would be hard to overpower. And lest we forget, the tipping point for Godzilla is that he has atomic breath! Until researchers find evidence of a dinosaur or animal with something like that, though, I will have to reserve my scientific judgment. </p><p>Regardless of who emerges victorious, this battle will be one for the ages, and I am excited as both a scientist and monster movie fan.</p><p><em>This article has been updated to use more inclusive language</em><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157101/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">.</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kiersten-formoso-1218031">Kiersten Formoso</a>, PhD Student in Vertebrate Paleontology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences</a></em></p><p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/godzilla-vs-kong-a-functional-morphologist-uses-science-to-pick-a-winner-157101">original article</a>.</p>
Keep reading
Show less
How do you tell reality from a deepfake?
The more you see them, the better you get at spotting the signs.
April 10, 2021
ROB LEVER/AFP via Getty Images
Technology & Innovation
<ul class="ee-ul"></ul><div></div><ul class="ee-ul"></ul><div><p>When Donald Trump belatedly <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/politics/2021/01/trump-admits-defeat-after-congress-confirms-electoral-vote.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">acknowledged</a> defeat two months after last year's US presidential election, some news reports zeroed in on a fundamental question: whether his speech had <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-trump-consession-video-deep/fact-check-donald-trump-concession-video-not-a-confirmed-deepfake-idUSKBN29G2NL" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">actually happened</a> at all.</p><p>The dramatic <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robtoews/2020/05/25/deepfakes-are-going-to-wreak-havoc-on-society-we-are-not-prepared/?sh=213d62df7494" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">proliferation</a> of deepfakes – online imagery that can make anybody appear to do or say anything within the limits of one's imagination, cruelty, or cunning – has begun to undermine faith in our ability to discern reality.</p><p>Recent advances in the technology have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/25/deepfake-video-apps/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shocked</a> even seasoned technology observers, and made anyone with a phone and access to an app like <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/avatarify-ai-face-animator/id1512669147" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Avatarify</a> capable of an adequate version.</p><p>According to <a href="https://thesentinel.ai/" target="_blank">one</a> startup's estimate, the number of deepfake videos online jumped from 14,678 in 2019 to 145,277 by June of the following year. Last month, the FBI <a href="https://www.lawfareblog.com/fbi-warns-deepfakes-will-be-used-increasingly-foreign-influence-operations" target="_blank">warned</a> that "malicious actors" will likely deploy deepfakes in the US for foreign influence operations and criminal activity in the near future. Around the world, there are concerns the technology will increasingly become a source of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305120903408" target="_blank">disinformation</a>, <a href="https://www.ibanet.org/Article/NewDetail.aspx?ArticleUid=432E7100-35BE-44B4-B6AB-AD55758411F4" target="_blank">division</a>, <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/07/08/deepfakes-and-synthetic-media-in-financial-system-assessing-threat-scenarios-pub-82237" target="_blank">fraud and extortion</a>.</p><p>When Myanmar's ruling junta recently posted a video of someone incriminating the country's detained civilian leader, it was widely <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-accused-using-deepfake-technology-prove-graft-case-daw-aung-san-suu-kyi.html" target="_blank">dismissed</a> as a deepfake. Last year, the Belgian prime minister's remarks <a href="https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/belgium-all-news/politics/106320/xr-belgium-posts-deepfake-of-belgian-premier-linking-covid-19-with-climate-crisis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">linking</a> COVID-19 to climate change turned out to be a deepfake, and Indian politician Manoj Tiwari's use of the technology for campaigning <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/19/868173/an-indian-politician-is-using-deepfakes-to-try-and-win-voters/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">caused alarm</a>. In Gabon, belief that a video of the country's ailing president was a deepfake <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/03/deepfake-gabon-ali-bongo/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">triggered</a> a national <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/13/how-sick-president-suspect-video-helped-sparked-an-attempted-coup-gabon/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crisis</a> in early 2019.</p><p>Manipulating images to alter public perception for political reasons dates back at least as far as <a href="http://history.com/news/josef-stalin-great-purge-photo-retouching" target="_blank">Stalin</a> – who famously <a href="https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/stalin-photo-manipulation-1922-1953/" target="_blank">deleted</a> purged comrades from official photos.</p><p>However, some say a more pressing issue is the increased vulnerability of non-public figures to online <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/us/raffaela-spone-victory-vipers-deepfake.html?searchResultPosition=4" target="_blank">assault</a>. Indian journalist Rana Ayyub has <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/deepfake-porn_uk_5bf2c126e4b0f32bd58ba316" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">detailed</a> attempts to silence her using deepfake pornography, for example.</p><p>Some <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/tech-news/.premium-the-deep-fake-scare-is-more-dangerous-than-ai-tech-behind-it-1.9279014" target="_blank">argue</a> the threat of the technology itself is overhyped – and that the <a href="https://gvu.gatech.edu/research/projects/liars-dividend-impact-deepfakes-and-fake-news-politician-support-and-trust-media" target="_blank">real problem</a> is that bad actors can now dismiss video evidence of wrongdoing by crying "deepfake" in the same way they might dismiss media reports that they dislike as "fake news."</p><p>Still, according to one <a href="https://cset.georgetown.edu/research/deepfakes-a-grounded-threat-assessment/" target="_blank">report</a>, technically-sophisticated, "tailored" deepfakes present a significant threat; these may be held in reserve for a key moment, like an election, to maximize impact. As of 2020 the estimated cost for the technology necessary to churn out a "state-of-the-art" deepfake was less than $30,000, according to the report.</p><p>The popularizing of the term "deepfakes" had a <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/nekqmd/deepfake-porn-origins-sexism-reddit-v25n2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sordid</a> origin in 2018. Calls to regulate or ban them have grown since then; related legislation has been <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6088" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">proposed</a> in the US, and in 2019 China <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/29/20988363/china-deepfakes-ban-internet-rules-fake-news-disclosure-virtual-reality" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">made it</a> a criminal offense to publish a deepfake without disclosure. Facebook <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/01/enforcing-against-manipulated-media/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said</a> last year it would ban deepfakes that aren't parody or satire, and Twitter <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/4/21122653/twitter-policy-deepfakes-nancy-pelosi-biden-trump" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said</a> it would ban deepfakes likely to cause harm.</p><p>It's been <a href="https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/deepfakes-explained" target="_blank">suggested</a> that the best way to inoculate people against the danger of deepfakes is through exposure. A variety of efforts have been made to help the public understand what's at stake.</p><p>Last year, the creators of the popular American cartoon series "South Park" posted the viral video "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sassy+justice" target="_blank">Sassy Justice</a>," which features deepfaked versions of Trump and Mark Zuckerberg. They <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/television/sassy-justice-south-park-deepfake.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">explained</a> in an interview that anxiety about deepfakes may have taken a back seat to pandemic-related fears, but the topic nonetheless merits demystifying.</p><p>For more context, here are links to further reading from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/strategic-intelligence/" target="_blank">the World Economic Forum's Strategic Intelligence platform</a>:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>A growing awareness of deepfakes meant people were quickly able to spot bogus online profiles of "Amazon employees" bashing unions, according to this report – though a hyper-awareness of the technology could also lead people to stop believing in real media. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/85cfa3bef7844886a68901bd3a139fc9" target="_blank">MIT Technology Review</a>)</em></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The systems designed to help us detect deepfakes can be deceived, according to a recently-published study – by inserting "adversarial examples" into every video frame and tripping up machine learning models. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/487c48bcfc074e0baa02d79ff50c21b8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Science Daily</a>)</em></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Authoritarian regimes can exploit cries of "deepfake." According to this opinion piece, claims of deepfakery and video manipulation are increasingly being used by the powerful to claim plausible deniability when incriminating footage surfaces. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/a5b302a0a922409db4c7ea5b675ca65a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wired</a>)</em></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>It's easy to blame deepfakes for the proliferation of misinformation, but according to this opinion piece the technology is no more effective than more traditional means of lying creatively – like simply slapping a made-up quote onto someone's image and sharing it. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/aafadcb9912647cca06080b215f8eb5d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NiemanLab</a>)</em></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>A recently-published study found that one in three Singaporeans aware of deepfakes believe they've circulated deepfake content on social media, which they later learned was part of a hoax. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/4e46230f864c4afab637a7f5b39b4175" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Science Daily</a>)</em></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>"It really makes you feel powerless." Deepfake pornography is ruining women's lives, according to this report, though a legal solution may be forthcoming. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/d5d085ba98234b538625df1b90c3cb9d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT Technology Review</a>)</em></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>"A propaganda Pandora's box in the palm of every hand." Deepfake efforts remain relatively easily detected, according to this piece – but soon the same effects that once required hundreds of technicians and millions of dollars will be possible with a mobile phone. <em>(<a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/monitor/latest-knowledge/a8f4b11144dc47caa6c307dcfce2ef1b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Australian Strategic Policy Institute</a>)</em></li></ul><p>On the <a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Strategic Intelligence</a> platform, you can find feeds of expert analysis related to <a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics/a1Gb0000000pTDREA2?tab=publications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Artificial Intelligence</a>, <a href="https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics/a1G0X000005JJGcUAO?tab=publications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Digital Identity</a> and hundreds of additional topics. You'll need to register to view.</p><p>Reprinted with permission of the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/are-we-at-a-tipping-point-on-the-use-of-deepfakes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p><p><br></p></div>
Keep reading
Show less
Big think's weekly newsletter.
Get smarter faster from the comfort of your inbox.
See our newsletter privacy policy here
Most Popular
Most Recent
Big think's weekly newsletter.
Get smarter faster from the comfort of your inbox.
See our newsletter privacy policy here
© Copyright 2007-2020 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK EDGE,
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
