Deepfakes: Are the Business Benefits Worth the Ethical Concerns?

Key Takeaway

Rob Greig, CIO of Arup, highlighted at the World Economic Forum that the ease of copying voices, images, and videos raises regulatory concerns for businesses considering synthetic content. Companies face dilemmas, such as whether to disclose AI-generated voices in customer service. While some social media platforms label AI content, implementation is inconsistent, and detection technology often lags. Additionally, the issue of consent complicates matters, especially when synthetic content involves deceased individuals, leading to ethical dilemmas for families. Zelda Williams, a film director, has personally encountered these challenges, underscoring the profound implications of synthetic media.

Published: 2025-10-09 18:00:00

“It’s now accessible to individuals with minimal technical skills to replicate a voice, image, or even a video,” stated Rob Greig, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Arup, at the World Economic Forum.

This regulatory gap creates uncertainty for businesses considering the deployment of synthetic content systems.

For instance, customer service operations must determine whether to inform callers that they are interacting with AI-generated voices instead of human agents.

So far, social media companies have implemented labeling for AI-generated content in certain instances, but the execution varies significantly, and detection systems often lag behind the capabilities of content generation.

Business platforms like LinkedIn have yet to establish policies regarding synthetic professional profiles or AI-generated business content.

The issue of consent becomes especially intricate when synthetic content involves individuals who are deceased. Social media now offers tools that claim to “bring your loved ones back to life” through animated images, creating a market for AI recreations of people who cannot provide consent.

Consequently, families are faced with synthetic representations of relatives they never authorized.