Latest news with #PSAi
Forbes
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
New PSA Uses AI Fakery To Warn About AI Fakery
Remember when a boat crew rescued a polar bear last year, but really didn't because the widely ... More shared video was AI-generated? For a greatest-hits parade of viral AI images, just watch a new public service announcement designed to help people spot AI fakery. You'll get such classics as a skydiving baby, the late Pope Francis wearing a designer puffer coat, a boat crew not actually rescuing a polar bear cub and, of course, Will Smith slurping spaghetti. That meme from a couple of years back became an early benchmark of just how far AI images had to go to appear convincing. A lot has changed since then, with AI tools for generating images and videos progressing toward realism at an astounding rate. The advancements open up countless creative possibilities, but with them comes a higher risk that people will confuse fake for real, sometimes with serious consequences. 'At stake is trust in substantiated information and the health of democracy,' said Betsy Morais, acting editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, the magazine for journalists published by Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. That's what prompted CJR to launch PSAi, a campaign aimed at helping the public distinguish real from AI-generated. 'For more than a century, photography has been one of the greatest tools journalists have had to establish truth and trust,' reads a description of the campaign. 'But AI-generated images are making it increasingly hard to distinguish real from fake media.' As part of PSAi, CJR partnered with creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day New York to produce a short, snappy music video that serves as a crash course in AI-spotting basics. The video pairs some of the best-known AI-generated images out there with a song in the style of '90s rap delivering tips that might seem obvious to those attuned to AI oddities, but aren't to the scores who get fooled. 'Extra fingers are a telltale sign, so is skin with the perfect shine,' the lyrics go. 'Flawless hair that's smooth and clean, warped faces in the back of the scene.' To make the video, the TBWA\Chiat\Day team scoured social media platforms to collect AI-generated images ranging from the emotionally charged — a terrified little girl paddling through the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina holding her dog — to the downright bizarre (I'm looking at you 'Shrimp Jesus'). The images were chosen not only because they were 'liked' and shared widely, but because they misled people into believing they were legitimate. The team animated the images using Runway's AI video generation and alteration tools, specifically its Act-One feature, which makes it possible to animate facial expressions and sync mouth movements with speech. In the case of the PSAi video, image subjects appear to be lip-synching the rap lyrics. 'That's the way you spot AI,' Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears to sing as he peeps into a window from outside (remember that one?). An iProov study earlier this year revealed that many people can't spot a deepfake, with 20% of consumers polled saying they don't even know what one is. Dustin Tomes, chief creative officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, stressed that PSAi isn't intended as an anti-AI statement, but an awareness-building toolkit. 'The PSAi is designed to give people simple, effective tools to spot the difference, without requiring too much effort,' Tomes said in a statement. 'This isn't a silver bullet, but by delivering this education in a memorable way, we hope more people will engage and apply these lessons. After all, fake news doesn't spread itself.' The video certainly is attention-grabbing, even without an appearance by the internet's favorite viral 'emotional support kangaroo.' The creative team behind PSAi scoured social media for AI-generated images that were liked and ... More shared widely, like this one of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Campaign ME
21-05-2025
- Campaign ME
How to spot fake news, AI-made imagery using TBWA, CJR's PSAi campaign
Columbia Journalism Review, one of the most respected voice on press criticism and the future of news, has launched a global campaign called The PSAi in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day New York to help people spot fake news, misinformation, differentiate real versus AI imagery, and identify the risks of AI-driven deception — as well as the role we all inadvertently play in spreading such visuals. The PSAi is a music video-centred social media campaign that outsmarts AI with AI – animating viral AI images that have made waves in culture to teach people how to spot fake images. People can visit to learn more about how to identify AI and understand the impact it has had on our media ecosystem. In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Derek Green, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\RAAD, said, 'The Middle East is among the world's most connected regions. Yet that reach cuts both ways: the same feeds that spark creativity are also channels for AI-generated fakes that can circle the globe in seconds. Recent regional conferences have already flagged AI-generated images as a rising threat to trust in everything from elections to humanitarian reporting.' Green added, 'Columbia Journalism Review's PSAi campaign — developed with our colleagues at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York — offers the sort of creative intervention the world needs. By turning AI on itself, it teaches people how to spot AI-driven deception and reminds every scroller that they're not just viewers, but publishers whose shares either amplify falsehoods or protect the truth.' 'This is Disruption® used for good: tackling a global challenge with the very technology that created it.' — Derek Green, CCO, TBWA\Raad With misinformation claims rising to 80 per cent for images and video, coupled with 34 million AI-generated images being created daily, the need for consumers to educate themselves on how to detect AI is more important than ever. For the past 100 years photography has been one of the greatest tools journalists have to establish truth and trust. But today, AI generated photos are making it increasingly difficult for consumers to distinguish between real and fake media. In 2024, a study of 2,000 US consumers reaffirmed the concern as 76 per cent of participants were unable to spot AI-generated images. Betsy Morais, Acting Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, 'AI has already begun to transform the environment for news and information. The novel approach of this campaign is to use AI as a tool to spot AI visuals as fakes — and to highlight the role everyone plays in making them go viral.' Since 1961, CJR has advocated for best practices in the journalism community, and believes in strong standards for verification, transparency and media literacy. With this campaign, CJR aims to recognise that if the press once had a singular power to document and publish news, versions of that work are now also visible across the vast expanse of the internet — populated by disinformation agents, synthetic-media hobbyists, and people who share what they see when they scroll. Morais added, 'At stake is trust in substantiated information and the health of democracy. It is our hope that people will feel empowered by this campaign to recognise their individual roles as newsmakers, and to promote a future based on truth.' To support the launch and continue its fight against misinformation, CJR is also sharing new research on AI and the press from Columbia's Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Dustin Tomes, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, said, 'There's never been more confusion about what's real and what's fake on the Internet. The PSAi is designed to give people simple, effective tools to spot the difference — without requiring too much effort. This isn't a silver bullet, but by delivering this education in a memorable way, we hope more people will engage and apply these lessons. Tomes concluded, 'After all, fake news doesn't spread itself. This isn't an anti-AI campaign; in fact, AI played a critical role in creating it. But today, we're all newsmakers — so we have to be more aware. We're proud of our longstanding partnership with the Columbia Journalism Review to spotlight timely issues such as 'Are You Press Worthy?' — so coming together again for this project felt not only fitting, but essential.' CREDITS: Client: Columbia Journalism Review Betsy Morais – Acting Editor Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day NY Dustin Tomes – Chief Creative Officer
