Synthetic media refers to digitally created or modified media— often driven by algorithms. Some common examples of this type of content are:

Deepfakes: video or audio recordings that look and sound authentic, but are not (typically these have malicious intent behind them)
Virtual Influencer: influencers who are digital entities but appear human
Synthetic images (i.e. CGI)

The obvious downside to synthetic media the opportunity for people to distribute false information for the purpose of exploitation or inciting violence and/or unrest. We have seen quite a lot of this in the past few years, most notable the 2016 US election.

The upside is that synthetic media provides some really unique opportunities for advertising, media and communications. CEOs could potentially speak to their constituents across the globe all at once with bespoke translations paired with their “virtual self” for each market or region. Advertisers are also tapping into this and State Farm’s integration with “The Last Dance” is a terrific example of how to use synthetic media in a smart and meaningful way. They used the technology to augment old footage of sports reporters in a way that made sense with their desired narrative today.

Synthetic media is still the Wild West, but can be very powerful and useful when implemented the right way.