HeyGen

Transparency and accountability 🙈

HeyGen has been associated with several important transparency and accountability limitations, including: 

• Algorithmic decision-making. HeyGen does not provide access to researchers to its system and does not disclose how it processes and manipulates facial features and expressions.

• Data sources. HeyGen does not reveal the sources of the data used to train its models, raising questions about plagiarism and copyright abuse and limiting how it can be found accountable for violations.

• Output verification. It is unclear whether a video was created using HeyGen, making it difficult to make the relevant creators and the company accountable should outputs using its systems are misused.

• Environmental impacts. HeyGen has indicated a commitment to sustainability by implementing initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, but provides little information on its impacts on the environment, making it challenging to hold the company responsible for the damage it may have caused.

Risks and harms 🛑

HeyGen products are seen to pose a variety of risks and harms to its users and the general public, including: 

• Identity fraud and misrepresentation. With users able to manipulate their appearances and create fake identities to deceive others, the ability to create hyper-realistic avatars raises concerns about identity theft and fraud, including in sensitive contexts such as politics, financial services or recrutiment. 

• Over-dependence. Over-reliance on AI tools like HeyGen can diminish creative skills and personal engagement in content creation. As users become accustomed to automated video generation, there is a risk that they might neglect the development of their storytelling abilities and unique presentation styles.

• Employment. HeyGen may have impacted the creative industries, including potentially causing the loss of skills and jobs - now and in the future.

• Environment. Generative AI demands copious energy and has a significant impact on the environment. However, like many other generative AI companies, HeyGen does not reveal the amounts of electricity or water consumed to train and run its systems, not does its disclose its carbon emissions or the downstream consequences of the environmental damage it has caused.

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://telblog.unic.ac.cy/2024/01/17/balancing-future-prospects-with-a-fairer-pricing-policy/

• https://www.creativebloq.com/news/ai-john-lennon