Synthetic Human Memories: AI-Edited Images and Videos Can Implant False Memories and Distort Recollection
This addresses the problem of AI-altered media distorting human memory, which has ethical and societal implications, though it is incremental in building on existing false memory research.
The study investigated how AI-edited images and videos affect false memories, finding that AI-generated videos of AI-edited images increased false recollections by 2.05 times compared to a control group.
AI is increasingly used to enhance images and videos, both intentionally and unintentionally. As AI editing tools become more integrated into smartphones, users can modify or animate photos into realistic videos. This study examines the impact of AI-altered visuals on false memories--recollections of events that didn't occur or deviate from reality. In a pre-registered study, 200 participants were divided into four conditions of 50 each. Participants viewed original images, completed a filler task, then saw stimuli corresponding to their assigned condition: unedited images, AI-edited images, AI-generated videos, or AI-generated videos of AI-edited images. AI-edited visuals significantly increased false recollections, with AI-generated videos of AI-edited images having the strongest effect (2.05x compared to control). Confidence in false memories was also highest for this condition (1.19x compared to control). We discuss potential applications in HCI, such as therapeutic memory reframing, and challenges in ethical, legal, political, and societal domains.