{"id":1170,"date":"2024-11-22T02:43:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T02:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webdesigninsg.com\/nif\/alumnus\/?p=1170"},"modified":"2025-07-15T16:07:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:07:39","slug":"dealing-with-the-deepfake-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2024\/11\/22\/dealing-with-the-deepfake-dilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing with the Deepfake Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Early in September 2024, the Singapore Government issued a clarion call against deepfakes, tabling a Bill in Parliament to tackle the scourge. The\u00a0proposed Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill aims to counter deepfakes during\u00a0elections.<\/p>

The law comes as deepfakes increasingly become a part of everyday life \u2014 just last year, the Internet was abuzz with deepfakes of then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then-Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong promoting investment platforms. The videos used artificial intelligence\u00a0(AI) to mimic their voices and facial expressions. Deepfakes sometimes also have less malicious intent. For\u00a0example, de-ageing filters that enhance one\u2019s looks, can \u2014 in the view of some academics \u2014 also be considered a form of deepfakes. But\u00a0is\u00a0this too extreme a position?<\/p>

To help alumni cut through the noise surrounding the issue, the National University of Singapore (NUS) Alumni Relations partnered the Institute of Systems Science (NUS-ISS) to organise a panel discussion featuring academics, regulators and industry leaders. Themed The Rising Threat of Deepfakes \u2013 Understanding the Surge and Its Implications, the session, which was held on 3 September 2024 at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House, attracted over 180 attendees, ranging from those whose work revolved around deepfakes to those who were just learning about\u00a0it. Mr Martin Khoo, Principal Lecturer & Consultant, Digital\u00a0Strategy & Leadership Practice, NUS-ISS, moderated the session.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A central tenet of the discussion was the importance of considering the interests of various stakeholders while not stifling technological progress when it comes to the use of AI.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0<\/p>

BALANCING INNOVATION AND\u00a0REGULATION<\/strong><\/p>

Dr Saurabh Lal (MTech SE \u201908) set the context for the evening\u2019s discussion by providing a broad overview of deepfakes and explaining how they are created. Drawing on his experience as President of cybersecurity provider CYFIRMA, he articulated the importance of clear legislation that defines the scope and impact of deepfakes, with a focus on transparency, enforcement mechanisms and victim protection. He also stressed that regulations must consider not only the publisher and the victim, but also the intermediaries involved in the distribution of deepfake content. These include social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.<\/p>

Ms Lim Ee Lin (MTech DL \u201924), who serves as the Deputy Director, CISO & Governance, Home Team Science & Technology Agency, pointed out the importance of a balanced approach. \u201cThere are expectations for the Government to introduce more regulations and guidelines to address the deepfake issue,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe are developing regulations, guidelines and standards that can be adopted by industry. The goal is to ensure that there is a baseline alignment across the ecosystem, where everyone is on the same page about the expectations and\u00a0requirements.\u201d<\/p>

However, Ms Lim acknowledged that the Government has to contextualise regulations for specific use cases across industries. She highlighted that the Government also has a duty to protect the public interest. \u201cThe Government has to balance these different stakeholder interests when developing guidelines,\u201d she said.<\/p>

INDUSTRY IMPACT <\/strong><\/p>

Mr Kenneth Zhu, Executive Director of Data Science & AI at OCBC Bank, shared the banking sector\u2019s perspective. He highlighted the need to balance innovation with regulation, noting that open-source tools \u2014 which are often associated with the creation of deepfakes \u2014 can be both beneficial and risky. However, he cautioned against outright prohibitions of these tools. \u201cWe cannot simply say that because open-source tools make these technologies easily accessible, we should prohibit any further developments,\u201d he said. \u201cThat would be akin to stifling innovation itself.\u201d<\/p>

Mr Zhu also stressed the importance of responsible development and use, suggesting that the banking sector work together to establish policies and guidelines. He highlighted the sector\u2019s focus on protecting client data and payments, noting that even as tech evolves, the core objective of safeguarding customer interests must remain a priority.<\/p>

To this, Dr Lal supported the idea of self-regulation, adding that industry players could collaborate to create associations or working groups to establish guidelines and standards. This, he argued, would help ensure that the development and use of these technologies do not harm society or unfairly target individuals or organisations.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Q&A session provided audience members with an opportunity to share their experiences of deepfakes.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0<\/p>

THE AUDIENCE WEIGHS IN<\/strong><\/p>

The session concluded with questions and comments from the audience, who shared personal experiences of deepfakes. They also raised concerns about privacy risks from sharing data with such apps and worries about the potential misuse of AI-generated faces or voices to compromise their children\u2019s safety. Panellists suggested mitigating these risks, for instance, by training children on security protocols and understanding platform terms of use. \u201cAs a society, we cannot run away from the need to understand these technologies,\u201d said Mr Khoo, pointing out various NUS-ISS courses that were ideal for those looking to deepen their understanding of deepfakes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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DEEPFAKES AT THE POLLS<\/strong><\/p>

Election Safeguards:
<\/strong>Singapore\u2019s new Bill proposes fines of up to S$1 million for social media platforms that fail to comply with directives to remove deepfake content misrepresenting political candidates during\u00a0elections.<\/p>

New Detection Arsenal:
<\/strong>Singapore is investing S$50 million to develop advanced detection tools as part of a broader initiative to tackle deepfakes and safeguard online trust and safety.<\/p>

Global Impact:
<\/strong>Deepfakes have disrupted elections worldwide, with countries like South Korea and Brazil implementing bans or restrictions on AI-generated content to protect electoral integrity.<\/p>

First AI Election:
<\/strong>The US election in November 2024 is widely regarded as the world\u2019s first \u2018AI election\u2019 due to the proliferation of deepfake videos featuring political\u00a0candidates.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photos by Mark Lee<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NUS Alumni Relations co-organised a spirited discussion centred on how society should navigate deepfakes while embracing innovation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","category-news-events"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1170"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1941,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions\/1941"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}