{"id":239110,"date":"2026-08-18T13:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=239110"},"modified":"2026-08-18T13:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:35:59","slug":"deepfakes-concerns-ai-protections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/18\/deepfakes-concerns-ai-protections\/","title":{"rendered":"Deepfakes raise concern as UH<\/abbr> researchers study risks, state strengthens AI<\/abbr> protections"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>

\"hands<\/p>\n

A new study co-authored by a University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa expert is shedding light on growing public concern about deepfakes—artificial intelligence (AI<\/abbr>)-generated videos, images or audio that realistically depict individuals saying or doing things they never actually said or did. This comes as the State of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> moved to strengthen protections against the harmful use of AI<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

Gov. Josh Green signed legislation in July strengthening protections against harmful AI<\/abbr>-generated content. Under HB<\/abbr> 2137, now Act 247, individuals harmed by unauthorized AI<\/abbr>-generated realistic digital imitations can pursue civil remedies, including monetary damages of up to $25,000 per piece of content.<\/p>\n

Growing public concern<\/h2>\n

The international study published August 6 in the journal Information<\/em><\/a> by School of Travel Industry Management<\/a> Professor Jerry Agrusa highlights growing public concern about deepfakes. Among 924 respondents, 84.8% said deepfakes can mislead people, while 82.7% said the technology can put personal data at risk through the unauthorized use of images or voices. Participants also expressed concern that fabricated content could damage professional reputations, employment opportunities and businesses.<\/p>\n

“Deepfake technology has enormous potential, but our research shows that people are deeply concerned about what happens when it is used to deceive or harm others,” Agrusa said. “Clear legal safeguards and meaningful consequences for malicious misuse are essential if we want the public to trust this technology while still allowing its responsible and beneficial uses.“<\/p>\n

The study found that public acceptance of deepfake technology may depend not simply on eliminating risk, but on whether people trust the safeguards designed to manage those risks. Researchers point to legal protections, informed consent, transparency and accountability as important components of responsible AI<\/abbr> governance.<\/p>\n

The study was authored by Agrusa, Cathrine Linnes (\u00d8stfold University of Applied Sciences), Giulio Ronzoni (Valencia College), Joseph Lema (UNLV<\/abbr>) and Babu George (Alcorn State University).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> research on deepfakes shows the need for stronger safeguards against harmful AI<\/abbr> content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":239112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1602,1363,103,146,9],"class_list":["post-239110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-ai","tag-manoa-research","tag-school-of-travel-industry-management","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t