About two years ago, I came across a teaching video in computer-generated voice. Wasn’t too sure if it can be considered own work… or teaching hours.
What’s the fine line?…
This shift reminds me of the year 1995-1996 when digital camera were becoming more popular and gaining traction on the consumer market. I was in Cardiff, doing my final year pharmacy degree.
I was happy with my SLR camera but aware of the appeals of digital cameras. The cost-benefit of a digital camera stood out. No need to buy films. Digital cameras allow the freedom to experiment with various perspectives and compositions.
A photographer’s toy.
Now digital cameras have superseded the film cameras. Kodak, which refused to invest in digital cameras, went bankrupt. Japanese companies like Sony, Nikon survived and are thriving by riding on the digital waves. Digital cameras become the standard for the mass market and news agencies. It feeds the appetite and expectations of the modern, fast-paced world.
AI and deepfakes technology
Similarly, as the AI and deepfakes technology are advancing rapidly. I still have no answer… And the line(s) are still shifting. Should we see these technology as threats to existing practices in T&L?
Or opportunities? And where do we draw the line(s)?
In the brief video below, I use a 10-min audio recording as a training model for Descript app. With my voice model, it was able to generate a speech from text or a script. Far from my natural voice but it’ll get there.
Think for a second about your own research and teaching practices, where do you think it can be most useful? 
In sum
Taking a lesson from the digital cameras story. I think the forces are too strong for us not to embrace and leverage on these technology.
Moving forward, we should give more attention to assessments, cybersecurity and ethics in education.
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A note on legal battles of AI and artists. Since educators are using multimedia in T&L, attention should be given to the use of AI-generated graphics. The key question: Is the graphic generated by an AI tool a transformative or derivative work?
