I tried to prove I'm not AI. My aunt wasn't convinced
A BBC correspondent talks to some AI experts on ways that people can be sure they’re talking to the real you and not an AI. The consensus is: the fakes are so good now, there is no way even for the experts to be completely sure, when communicating with someone remotely, that they are genuine, just from the content alone. Apart from meeting in person, the only sure way is to apply authentication methods already in common use for secure logins to remote services. Only now the definition of “remote service” has to broadened to “talking to your friends”. <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260324-i-tried-to-prove-im-not-an-ai-deepfake>
This has been something I've thought about a lot recently.The only "foolproof" method I've come up with is to ask the person something obscure that they would know, like what was the name of the pub that you used to work at?The only problem is that is has to be obscure enough that the answer's not on the web for AI to find, but then it also can't be so obscure that they no longer remember it.This gets harder as I get older - and I might not even remember the answer to the question properly myself. I frequently have conversations with my siblings about something that happened years ago and my recollection doesn't match theirs.In the end, in-person may be the only way to go, especially if they want something from you. On Thursday, 26 March 2026 at 06:04:11 pm NZDT, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@geek-central.gen.nz> wrote: A BBC correspondent talks to some AI experts on ways that people can be sure they’re talking to the real you and not an AI. The consensus is: the fakes are so good now, there is no way even for the experts to be completely sure, when communicating with someone remotely, that they are genuine, just from the content alone. Apart from meeting in person, the only sure way is to apply authentication methods already in common use for secure logins to remote services. Only now the definition of “remote service” has to broadened to “talking to your friends”. <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260324-i-tried-to-prove-im-not-an-ai-deepfake> _______________________________________________ wlug mailing list -- wlug@list.wlug.org.nz To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave@list.wlug.org.nz
On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 02:57:54 +0000 (UTC), Simon Travaglia wrote:
This has been something I've thought about a lot recently.The only "foolproof" method I've come up with is to ask the person something obscure that they would know, like what was the name of the pub that you used to work at?
That kind of thing is vulnerable to a “man-in-the-middle” attack.
All too vulnerable. Because I have my browser set to flush everything on exit, every time I login to outlook online I get 4 login options 1. User face, fingerprint, PIN or security key 2. Approve sign-in with mobile app 3. Use your password 4. Send a code to alternate email. I can also get a 5th option, 5. Send a code to my cellphone Essentially, someone only needs one of these things to access my email. My security is convenience. On Friday, 27 March 2026 at 04:14:24 pm NZDT, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@geek-central.gen.nz> wrote: On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 02:57:54 +0000 (UTC), Simon Travaglia wrote:
This has been something I've thought about a lot recently.The only "foolproof" method I've come up with is to ask the person something obscure that they would know, like what was the name of the pub that you used to work at?
That kind of thing is vulnerable to a “man-in-the-middle” attack. _______________________________________________ wlug mailing list -- wlug@list.wlug.org.nz To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave@list.wlug.org.nz
participants (2)
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro -
Simon Travaglia