The news: In a new white paper about its plans for AI, translated by China scholars Jeffrey Ding and Caroline Meinhardt, Tencent, the owner of WeChat and one of Chinas three largest tech giants, emphasizes that deepfake technology is not just about faking and deceiving, but a highly creative and groundbreaking technology. It urges regulators to be prudent and to avoid clamping down on its potential benefits to society.

The examples: Tencent listed five examples of what it perceives as beneficial applications of deepfake technology that already exist or could soon exist today:

Why it matters: Tencent says its already working to advance some of these applications. This will likely spur its competitors to do the same if they havent yet, and influence the direction of Chinese startups eager to be acquired. As a member of Chinas AI national team, which the government created as part of its overall AI strategy, the company also has significant sway among regulators who want to help foster the industrys growth.

Any concerns? Tencent acknowledges that deepfake technology can cause harm, particularly in its use for face-swapping people into pornography. But the company is forcefully optimistic that it will not topple societys truths, much less pose a threat to the world order. Of course, thats easy to say for a company that stands to benefit significantly from the technologys commercialization.

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The owner of WeChat thinks deepfakes could actually be good - MIT Technology Review