Synthesia AI video generator

Synthesia is a UK-based company that develops software products that are used to create AI generated video content.

Founded in 2017, the company enables users to create high-quality videos with AI avatars and voiceovers in 130+ languages. 

Its products are used primarily in marketing and corporate communication. 

Risks and harms 🛑

Synthesia has been criticised for the misuse of its AI-powered stock videos, in particular, to create political misinformation and disinformation, and to facilitate fraud and scams. 

Transparency and accountability 🙈

Synthesia is seen to suffer from a number of important transparency and accountability limitations.

• Algorithmic black box. The AI models and algorithms used are proprietary, with limited public information on their inner workings.

• Deepfake concerns. The technology can create highly realistic synthetic videos, raising ethical questions about authenticity and consent.

• Attribution issues. It can be difficult to determine if a video generated using Synthesia technology was AI-generated or to trace its origin.

• Auditability challenges. The process of creating AI videos is not easily auditable by third parties.

• Lack of regulation. There's a lack of industry-wide standards or regulations governing AI video generation.

• Accountability gaps. It is unclear who is responsible if AI-generated content causes harm or spreads misinformation.