There are some things that we know we can trust. The website blackjack real money is a top ranked South African facing online casino. We know that to be true. The picture of Elon Musk kissing a “robot wife” … well, it turns out that the pictures of Elon Musk’s ‘robot wives’ are AI-generated.
Backstory
On May 19, 2023, it was reported …
“reports emerged that Elon Musk’s company is nearing completion of a ‘robot wife.’ Images of Musk dancing and kissing a robot have recently gone viral. Several industry experts predict that the famous billionaire will soon introduce his ‘future wife,’ Catanella, the first robotic woman he has created. Over the weekend, social media was abuzz with a photo of the renowned tech mogul alongside a humanoid robot, which many mistakenly believed to be his ‘future wife.”
It was even reported that …
“Reports indicate that Musk and his company are in the final stages of creating a Robot Wife, with the supply expected to roll out in September.”
What was the truth …
On May 23, 2023, it was revealed that …
“Posts falsely claiming that billionaire Elon Musk plans to release ‘robot wives’ for sale later this year have been shared thousands of times on Facebook.”
“The posts, which have also been shared on Twitter, claim that a company owned by Mr Musk intends to release the human-like robots in September 2023. They feature a number of pictures which appear to show the billionaire kissing and dancing with different ‘robot wives’. ”
One post claims: “According to reports, Elon Musk’s company plans to produce a ‘Robot Wife.’ The Robot Wives is expected to roll out Sept 2023. ”
But there is no evidence for any of these claims, and the images used have all been generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
How can you tell the images were AI generated?
If you look closely at some of the pictures used in the posts, some irregularities in hands and facial features quickly make it apparent that these images were AI generated. The pictures appear to have first been shared in early May by a digital artist, who also shared the highly specific prompts they used in order to create the images.
There is no evidence Elon Musk plans to release ‘robot wives’. Although it is true that Elon Musk is looking into the development of human-like robots. At a recent Tesla shareholder meeting, Mr Musk revealed the latest iteration of the humanoid Optimus robot, currently under development by the company. An earlier prototype, which shares some AI software with the cars Tesla is more widely associated with, was displayed by Mr. Musk in September 2022.
What can we learn from this incident going into the 2024 US Presidential Election (or any country’s election)?
In other words, we can no longer trust any images on the internet, especially if hands are not shown or facial features are “hidden”.
But more importantly, a presidential candidate for the United States cannot (and should not be allowed) to “hide in his basement” and refuse to do primary debates and/or general debates.
These debates must be done:
- In person … the candiate MUST physically be present at the debate. No Zoom debates or phone call debates.
- In front of live witnesses or representatives from all parties that are in the election.
- Any presidential candidate MUST participate in primary debates.
- Any presidential candidate MUST participate in general debates.
- No more “hiding in basements”.
- Candidate MUST have a certain minimum number of public appearances in front of audiences of at least a certain size.
Deep fake with audio, video, and images, and even text is too real. What used to be considered fiction, fantasy, and something that would be impossible to do in reality … is not reality.
Unless we have physical witnesses from representatives of all candidates there is no way we can ever trust that a candidate is who they claim that they are.
Dave (1993) Movie
Dave is a political comedy. You could see it as a comedy lite version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with almost as much heart. It’s one of the few fictional stories with a duplicate taking someone’s place where the people closest to them can’t be fooled for long.
The plot of the story is that the President (fictional character) has an aneurism in his brain, and he ends up in a comma. His chief of staff tries to hide this fact from the public. So he finds a duplicate to pretend to be the President, and the chief of staff becomes the “man behind the curtain”. The man makes all of the decisions, and Dave (the fake President) becomes the “face of the President”. In more detail …
Dave Kovic runs a temporary employment agency in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and, as a side job, capitalizes on his remarkable resemblance to President Bill Mitchell by comically impersonating him at events. The Secret Service agent Duane Stevenson sees him at one of these events, so she recruits him to impersonate Mitchell after a speech, ostensibly as a security precaution. President Mitchell wanted this cover to allow him to sneak out to have an affair.
Dave’s appearance goes well, and the public is unaware that Mitchell was having an affair. But Mitchell suffers a major stroke while having sex with his mistress.
Mitchell’s Chief of Staff, Bob Alexander, is inspired to ask Dave to continue in his role. Bob’s scheme is to force Vice President Gary Nance to resign by involving him in a savings and loan scandal, so he is forced to resign. Then he will then have Dave appoint him as Vice President. Mitchell is revealed to be incapacitated. Finally, Bob becomes the President. At least, that was the plan.
Dave’s charm and enthusiasm improve Mitchell’s image and popularity. First Lady Ellen Mitchell, who has been estranged from her husband for years, initially suspects nothing and treats Dave with contempt on the few occasions they see each other.
When she sees Dave’s empathy towards a shy boy at a homeless shelter she is a staunch advocate for, she begins to soften towards him. Her fury returns, though, after Bob forges Mitchell’s signature on the veto of a bill that included funding for the shelter.
This is where Bob’s plan falls apart, because Dave is not a mindless idiot or an 80 year “President”. He is young, smart, and in his “real job”, he helps people to get jobs … a job he very proudly does.
Dave talks with his accountant friend Murray Blum to help him go through the budget in order to find the money for the shelter. Bob does not like this, because Bob wanted a “puppet”, not a person who actually has a brain in their head. But in the cabinet meeting, there is nothing that Bob can do when Dave takes charge and makes the budget work.
Ellen, having witnessed Dave’s considerable efforts to save the shelter, tricks him into admitting he’s an impostor and asks to see her husband.
They are told he won’t recover. They both resolve to leave the White House. The next day, still as Mitchell, Dave calls a press conference, making Bob furious that Dave is no longer obeying him. Dave fires Bob, who in turn tries to fire him, but Dave dares Bob to tell the press that. At the press conference, Dave announces a monumental plan to provide a job to every American who wants one.
Nance returns from Africa and confronts Dave for trying to frame him for crimes that Bob and the real Mitchell are actually guilty of. In retaliation against Dave, Bob reveals evidence implicating Mitchell in the scandal, which Alan admits is true. Despite talk of impeachment, Dave refuses to back off his jobs plan, while Bob quietly begins to garner support for a presidential run.
During a joint session of Congress, Dave admits that Bob’s allegations are true and takes responsibility for the scandal. He produces proof, furnished by Alan, that shows Nance is innocent but Bob was directly involved. As he continues his speech, he fakes another stroke. The vice president becomes the President and life continues.
Summary
The movie Dave is a fictional story. But do I believe that given the technology that exists today that a “fake President” could be put before the American people with other people (who are unelected) running things? Yes, I do.
I do not trust anybody, and as Murphy says … “What can go wrong, will go wrong, at the wrong time.” Have a country run by a “fake President” may seem to “not matter” in the short term, but in the long term, it is a really bad idea, because you have no idea who the puppet master really is and the whole concept of “checks and balances” that was built into the US government goes right out the window.