Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A stylish Pope Francis became the topic of conversation over the weekend after images of the Catholic leader wearing a white puffer jacket began circulating online, bringing in fashion-related compliments.
But the Pope actually never wore the jacket-and-cross-necklace combination; the photos that circulated weren't real.
Those images, created through artificial intelligence (AI)-generator model Midjourney, were uploaded to Facebook and Reddit groups dedicated to AI-generated images and art. They were then posted on other social media sites without the context of the groups.
The Pope Drip
by u/trippy_art_special in midjourney
While the images were taken as a light-hearted joke by some, cybersecurity expert Chester Wisniewski warns eerily convincing AI-generated photos could further exacerbate misinformation.
"We've kind of crossed an uncanny valley now," Wisniewski told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Monday. "I don't know that there is a way for people to tell the difference between a real photo and a fake one and this is going to have deeply troubling societal ramifications."
In the earlier days of AI-generated images, Wisniewski explained, there were many tell-tale signs to distinguish a real photo from a computer-generated one. For example, limbs and fingers are often distorted in AI-generated images, hair appeared to be unrealistic and extremely airbrushed or teeth in portraits looked exaggerated.
Today however, the technology has improved incredibly quickly, making these red-flags not easily distinguishable to an everyday online user.
Since the coding behind computer-generated images, voices and video is public knowledge and doesn't belong to a single company or person, anyone who is technologically savvy can create anything or pay to use one of the various AI-model apps or websites.
While this open access to AI can lead to improvements in the digital world -- for example, with expanding cybersecurity to protect users' personal data -- it also places the responsibility of being transparent about the content on the creator, which doesn't always happen, Wisniewski says.
"The problem is, all of this relies on some sort of honour system, which we already know people are not fairly honest," he said. "Even influencers have a hard time following the U.S. FTC guidelines where they're supposed to put #ad or #sponsor when they're promoting something."
Since computer generated images are all learned from humans, a bias in the images created also poses other ethical issues. Previous reports have shown some AI-image generators are only able to accurately portray white and male people, showing disparities for Black people and other people of colour. Additionally, apps like Lensa AI portrait have been accused of stealing artwork from artists.
Though the Pope did not address the photos directly, he spoke about the use of artificial intelligence on Monday, saying its power can only help humans if it's used ethically.
"I am convinced that the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning has the potential to contribute in a positive way to the future of humanity," the Pope is quoted as saying in a Vatican news release. "I am certain that this potential will be realized only if there is a constant and consistent commitment on the part of those developing these technologies to act ethically and responsibly."
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.