The Future Will Be Synthesised

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The Future Will Be Synthesised: Art and Business

Art and Business

BBC Radio 4 - The Future Will Be Synthesised, Art and Business

Who owns the art that AI produces? Henry Ajder unpicks the creative and legal implications

What happened when a AI creative posted deepfake audio of Jay-Z rapping Shakespeare on YouTube? Can a synthetic voice be copyrighted? Thorny issues tackled in this episode.

The commercial uses of synthetic media are the key driving force behind the technology’s rapid adoption. This has enabled personalised advertising where content can be tailored for individual audiences, the rise of virtual digital influencers with multi-million pound deals and millions of followers, and virtual designer clothing. Who's driving the commercial and creative uses of synthetic media? Should these synthetic creations be labelled to avoid deception? Deceased actors and singers are being used by advertisers to sell their products - should their likeness be used in this way without their consent? Start-ups are enabling celebrities to license their image or voice to be synthetically replicated for product endorsements at the press of a button. In a future where the market is saturated with synthetic advertising and personalisation, is authenticity going to be prized more than ever? Synthetic media has been embraced by some as the future of creativity. Generative art is a rapidly growing field, with artists both creating and collaborating with algorithms to push boundaries, generating infinite new music, scripts, paintings, and experimental projects. With synthetic media presenting new ways of creating artistic content, are human artists at risk? And who owns the art that AI produces?
Interviewees: The synthetic voice of YouTuber Vocal Synthesis; Kelsey Farish, media lawyer; Cathy Hackl, metaverse expert; Victor Riparbelli, Synthesia

Presenter: Henry Ajder
Producer: Flora Carmichael

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Henry Ajder examines the implications of the synthetic media seeping into our lives.

Synthetic media is seeping into our everyday lives, but are we ready? Henry Ajder examines the legal, political and ethical implications.

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