Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly large part of our everyday lives. AI-enabled technologies are in our mobile phones, computers, internet search engines, social networks, and even home appliances. Increasingly, we are also encountering AI products – articles, images, photos or videos – in the online environment.
Unfortunately, artificial intelligence can create content that can be dangerous to us, such as deepfake videos that can confuse us and cause us to react rashly (e.g. investing large amounts of money under the prospect of a miraculous fortune promised by a famous person). The only defence against these risks is, first and foremost, to continuously increase the media literacy of Internet users – both the young generation and the generation born earlier. And it is these who are the focus of a new publication prepared by the E-Bezpeci project of the Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc in cooperation with CEDMO – Risks associated with artificial intelligence for the elderly.
The handbook offers a comprehensive view of artificial intelligence, its use and potential risks. It explains the basic concepts and principles of AI and describes its positive and practical benefits in everyday life, for example, in healthcare, education, and entertainment. It also highlights potential dangers such as internet fraud, the spread of misinformation, deepfake videos and privacy breaches.
“The virtual world of recent years is literally riddled with dangerous content, including various types of online scams that exploit artificial intelligence,” comments Prof. Kamil Kopecký. “Thousands of people are losing their savings because they invest in ‘guaranteed’ investment products in which a famous personality (e.g. a president, ex-prime minister, famous actor or singer) speaks to them via deepfake videos and promises them easy riches. However, this is just a scam, a fiction, resulting in huge financial losses. The only way to become immune to these risks is to systematically educate and raise the media literacy of the population. This is what our new publication aims for.”
Anja Grabovac, project manager at CEDMO, adds, “The tools of generative artificial intelligence are not yet used by the vast majority of Czech society. The results of our CEDMO Trends survey show that three-quarters of the Czech population over the age of 16 do not use generative AI tools at all. At the same time, we know that there are large discrepancies between age groups; while only a third of respondents in the younger age group declare zero use of generative AI tools, in the over-65 age group, this figure is as high as 94%. Similar differences were observed when it came to the knowledge of the phenomenon of deepfake videos, where only less than a third of respondents over 65 could correctly identify what a deepfake is from the answers offered – i.e. that it is a seemingly real AI-created image, video or sound of something that is not based on truth. The survey also highlights a large gap between women’s and men’s awareness of what a deepfake is, with half of the men surveyed answering correctly, compared to 32% of women.”
In addition to deepfake videos and online scams, the guide also looks at the issue of deep nudes, or so-called stripping apps, which are a highly dangerous trend – artificial intelligence integrated into web or mobile apps allows anyone to generate a nude photo from a regular photo. This can then be used for blackmail, threats, etc.
The handbook also provides practical advice and recommendations on how to protect yourself from AI abuse and gives an overview of useful apps and tools to use this technology safely. It concludes by offering contacts for organisations that can provide assistance in case of difficulties.
You can download the guide for free here on the CEDMO website or on the E-Bezpeci website. It is also available in a limited print run.
