In 2018, Professor S. Shyam Sundar spearheaded a study in India focusing on the dissemination and impact of misinformation and “fake news.” This research highlighted a key finding: misinformation conveyed through videos was more likely to be believed and shared compared to audio and text formats. Sundar discussed these insights on a recent episode of the Feature Shoot photography podcast, dedicated to the topic of artificial intelligence (AI):
“We tend to place an excessive amount of trust in images, which could potentially be very harmful.” – S. Shyam Sundar on the Feature Shoot photography podcast
Holding the position of James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects, Co-Director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, and Director of the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence at Pennsylvania State University’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Sundar is a renowned figure in the field.
On the podcast, hosted by Feature Shoot’s Founder Alison Zavos, Sundar explored the various implications and possibilities of AI in media, particularly focusing on imagery. Their dialogue came in the wake of an event where a fabricated AI image depicting an explosion near the Pentagon briefly influenced the stock market. This instance is believed to be the first of its kind where an AI-generated image impacted financial markets.
While AI holds promise for breakthroughs in areas like cancer treatment or addressing climate change, caution is advised in navigating this emerging technology. Currently, AI-generated images can closely mimic real photographs, and their sophistication is only increasing.
The challenge of distinguishing between real and AI-generated images raises questions about safeguarding the public against misinformation. Adobe has suggested a solution, and Sundar shared his perspectives on this during the podcast.
For professionals in the photography sector, the future role of AI is still up in the air. Will AI simply become another tool for creating and editing images, or does it have the potential to supplant human photographers?
Sundar encourages photographers to reflect on their unique human qualities in their work: “Photographers should contemplate, ‘How can I infuse my images with a sense of humanity that sets them apart from machine-generated ones?’ ‘What aspects of human essence can render a photograph uniquely human and distinguish it from AI creations?’”
