CGI is Fake but AI is Real?

In 1994, Forrest Gump showed a fictional version of history—Forrest shaking hands with JFK—using computer-generated imagery (CGI). No one panicked. People praised the film's innovation. The fake scenes weren’t hidden, they were part of the story. The audience knew Tom Hanks didn’t time-travel.

Fast forward to 2024. A teenager on TikTok uses AI to mimic a celebrity’s voice, making it say anything. The result spreads faster than any movie ever could. This time, the audience doesn’t know it’s fake. That’s the real shift.

The Real Difference: Access and Speed

CGI requires budgets, teams, and time. A single scene in a Marvel film can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce. AI, by contrast, needs a laptop and the right prompt. Open-source models like Stable Diffusion or ElevenLabs bring studio-level effects to bedrooms and basements. As of 2023, over 60% of U.S. teens reported using AI tools, often for entertainment or schoolwork¹.

Cost: CGI needs specialists; AI tools are often free or under $20/month.

Time: A CGI sequence might take weeks. AI can create a convincing fake in minutes.

Distribution: CGI films need theaters and platforms. AI fakes spread instantly through social media.

We've Seen Fakes Before, We Just Didn't Call Them That

Over time, people learned how to spot CGI. Shaky lip syncs, stiff movement, off lighting. But even before AI or CGI, fakes existed. Yellow journalism in the 1890s. Doctored war photos from the 20th century. Fabricated political speeches. Propaganda. Media manipulation is not new, it just looks different now.

Saying, “This fake. It's AI.” reflects a kind of confirmation bias. We assume we’re drowning in disinformation today and forget how much fake media we’ve always consumed. The difference is visibility, not volume. Today’s fakes are more obvious, more public, and often labeled. Yesterday’s were buried in history books and headlines no one questioned.

The Real Threat Is Complacency

Worrying about AI is fair. But focusing only on AI misses the larger issue: we’ve always had misinformation. Technology changes, but the human desire to manipulate or believe convenient stories does not. The challenge isn’t spotting fakes, it’s remembering that truth has always needed effort to find.

#AI #CGI #GenerativeAI #FakeNews #MediaLiteracy #Deepfakes #TechEthics

¹ Pew Research Center, 2023.