Origins and Ethics of Deepfakes

This unit surveys the historical evolution, technical milestones, and business impacts of media deception—from analog tricks to the industrial-era deepfake landscape—using real-world cases and narrative lessons. Students examine creators and adversaries, assess ethical and reputational risks for organizations, and prepare management-focused responses that set the stage for technical and policy work in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the historical progression of media deception across the Analog, Dawn of Digital, Deep Learning, Viral, and Industrial eras, identifying at least three technological milestones and their direct implications for business management.
• Evaluate the roles, techniques, and motivations of creators and adversaries (e.g., VFX artists, deepfake teams, real-time systems) in shaping organizational risk, using case-study evidence from the unit.
• Apply ethical frameworks and relevant legal considerations to at least two viral deepfake scenarios to develop and justify mitigation strategies for managers.
• Demonstrate preparedness for subsequent units by producing a concise executive briefing that synthesizes unit lessons, forecasts emerging trends, and recommends three actionable policies or practices for business leaders.