Apollo 11 'disaster' video project highlights growing danger of deep fake tech

“Destiny has ordained that the lads who went to the moon to discover in peace will keep on the moon to relaxation in peace.”

So begins President Richard Nixon’s televised handle to the nation 51 years in the past as we speak (July 20), given simply after the historic lunar landing try of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went tragically awry.

“In historic days, males checked out stars and noticed their heroes in the constellations. In fashionable instances, we do a lot the identical, however our heroes are epic males of flesh and blood,” Nixon went on. “Others will observe, and absolutely discover their manner residence. Man’s search won’t be denied. However these males have been the primary, and they’ll stay the foremost in our hearts.”

You’ll be able to watch Nixon studying these phrases, which have been penned by speechwriter William Safire, on this dramatic and disturbing video. Probably the most disturbing factor about it, of course, is that it is a pretend, and a really convincing one. 

In actuality, Armstrong and Aldrin did land safely on the moon on July 20, 1969. They returned to Earth safely, too, with crewmate Michael Collins, who had remained in orbit because the moonwalkers explored the lunar floor.

Associated: Apollo 11 at 50: A complete guide to the historic moon landing

“In Case of Moon Catastrophe” crew members used machine studying and synthetic intelligence strategies to govern audio and video, making it appear as if President Nixon truly gave the Apollo 11 contingency speech, which was learn by a voice actor.  (Picture credit score: MIT Heart for Superior Virtuality)

The brand new video is a component of a digital storytelling project from the Massachusetts Institute of Expertise’s (MIT) Heart for Superior Virtuality referred to as “In Occasion of Moon Catastrophe.” That was the title of Safire’s (very actual) Apollo 11 contingency speech, which the mission’s success consigned to a historic footnote.

The brand new project drags the speech again into the sunshine, making it the centerpiece of a “complete deepfake” — one with manipulated audio and video. 

The 7-minute video begins with actual Apollo 11 footage, which crew members edited deceptively to create the impression that the epic moon touchdown failed. Then comes Nixon’s speech. It was truly learn by a voice actor, however you’d by no means understand it. The crew used deep-learning and artificial-intelligence tech to breed Nixon’s voice and facial actions.

“In Case of Moon Catastrophe” explains how the Nixon deepfake video was made and discusses the risks of media disinformation extra broadly. (Picture credit score: MIT Heart for Superior Virtuality)

Project crew members did not go to all this hassle only for giggles. They needed to showcase the danger of media disinformation, which is already profound and can solely develop as deepfake tech will get higher and higher. 

“This various historical past reveals how new applied sciences can obfuscate the reality round us, encouraging our viewers to think twice concerning the media they encounter day by day,” project co-leader Francesca Panetta, XR Artistic Director at MIT Virtuality, mentioned in a press release.

“In Case of Moon Catastrophe” debuted final 12 months as an artwork set up, which featured a copy of a 1960s-era lounge. The project has been chosen by a number of movie festivals, and it acquired a Artistic Media Award from the Mozilla Basis. 

Actual, unmanipulated picture of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar floor in July 1969. (Picture credit score: Apollo 11/NASA)

The crew simply launched a web site that showcases the video, explains the way it was made and dives intimately into deepfake tech and the dangers it poses.

“It’s our hope that this project will encourage the general public to know that manipulated media performs a major function in our media panorama, and that with additional understanding and diligence we will all cut back the probability of being unduly influenced by it,” project co-leader Halsey Burgund, a fellow at MIT Open Documentary Lab, mentioned in the identical assertion.

Study extra at http://moondisaster.org.

Mike Wall is the creator of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a e book concerning the seek for alien life. Observe him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Fb. 

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