Synthetic Media
Synthetic media tools allow you to create a wide range of content simply through prompts and queries. Today’s synthetic media AI capabilities mean that creators can work rapidly and at scale to produce content at a level of sophistication we only imagined a few years ago. Now, even those without technical expertise can easily manipulate synthetic media generation tools to build impressive content collections.
What Is Synthetic Media?
Synthetic media is a catch-all term describing digital content produced mainly through artificial intelligence. The primary type of input for creating it is text, which can be translated by AI into a complete synthetic media range. This includes synthetic video, images, voice, and text (e.g. marketing material, avatar dialogue, and social media content). The reliance on text prompts and queries instead of programming ability and leveraging generative AI and proprietary databases divides synthetic media from other digital media categories.
The definition of synthetic media is controversial. Take, for example, the Wikipedia version: “…media produced by generative AI… such as for the purpose of misleading people or changing an original meaning”. This definition emphasizes the negative aspects of synthetic media usage (see below) and is probably due to early examples of the technology in action. Among the first well-known instances of synthetic media were deepfakes that hinted at the danger of misuse and were created by AI specialists.
However, synthetic media platforms have evolved to the point where they appeal to a much bigger market and range of applications. Synthetic media is now mainstream and used widely for legitimate purposes. To illustrate this, the synthetic media market is projected to increase from a value of USD 4.5 billion in 2023 to USD 16.6 billion in 2033 (a 14.3% annual growth rate). The market includes three main content types: text-to-image, text-to-video, and voice synthesis/modification.
How Synthetic Media Works
From the creator’s point of view, using synthetic media is extremely simple. As is the case with ChatGPT, for example, media in the form of text and images is a matter of typing in a textual description of what you want and editing that until the results match. Video production is a bit more complex, so a graphical user interface (GUI) like D-ID’s Studio is necessary.
On the technology side, the situation is more complex. Synthetic media relies on a wide range of sophisticated tools and techniques, including:
- Deep Learning – a form of machine learning that utilizes artificial neural networks and is trained to recognize and reproduce the subject of a user prompt
- Generative Adversarial Networks – one network generates many output versions (for example, of a picture), and the other network compares that version to something real (for example, an actual picture resulting from the same prompt) until it cannot tell the difference
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) – allows a creator to provide inputs and receive outputs in actual language instead of computer code
Benefits of Synthetic Media
Text is the main input method for synthetic media, which, in combination with NLP, means that users can generate content by describing and refining what they want. This approach comes with many advantages.
The cost efficiency of synthetic media derives from the types of skills needed. No programming expertise is required, and changes to initial output versions take seconds. Plus, because the person creating the output is usually the one who conceives of it, there are no mistakes due to communication problems.
This efficiency also provides scalability, as a small, unskilled team can create numerous types of content quickly. The output of synthetic media tools is always digital and so is effortlessly copied and distributed.
Finally, with synthetic media AI, users enjoy a large amount of creative flexibility. Images that are impossible to build physically can be generated through verbal descriptions. Similarly, synthetic media can be combined with other forms of digital input, such as existing pictures and video, to create overlays and combinations.
Applications of Synthetic Media
Given the benefits of synthetic media, most creators aim to produce high-quality content in fast ways that allow for easy changes. With an AI video translator, creators can instantly adapt content to multiple languages. Common uses include:
- Advertising – Dynamic avatars, scene settings, dialogue, and text overlays can all be produced within a GUI directly by the marketer
- Entertainment – AI videos based on creative concepts no longer require actors, studios, production equipment, or editing
- Education – Institutions and corporations can make engaging video versions of training and educational material instead of relying on text and simple images
- Personalized Content – Marketers can generate content versions according to numerous market segments and media (emails, presentations, product videos) with minimal resources
Synthetic Media: Ethical Considerations
Synthetic media allows creators to form images and videos by adapting existing files or building them from scratch. As mentioned, some of the first uses of synthetic media violated common ethical standards. This risk still exists today. People and organizations using synthetic media should pay attention to these sensitive issues.
Deepfakes
Deepfakes manipulate images and videos of real people and places to distort “reality”. For instance, AI can copy someone’s voice, use voice synthesis to vocalize a new text and lip-sync the new dialogue to a video of the same person.
Data Privacy
AI samples content to generate output, often through the internet. This creates a risk that the data sampling and generation process includes private content and is therefore illegal. For example, producing an image that incorporates somebody’s photograph taken from social media could be against the law.
Copyright
A related issue is copyright, in which an entity legally establishes ownership of its created content. Legally, you must get permission and/or pay to use copyrighted material. But you might be liable if your synthetic media AI somehow includes copyrighted content in building an image or video.
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