— Two Challenges — +Addenda

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Here's your mission if you choose to accept it ;) ....

Am seeing a lot of end-of-year news reports saying that 2024 will be the year of AI-generated fake videos (…especially affecting the political sphere). We’ve had skilled still-photographic fakery possible for some years, and now the rapid rise of fake video and audio.

I suspect amongst readers here there are some pretty savvy techies, and I’d love to challenge such folks to produce a snippet of fake Ivory-bills going up/down or around a tree trunk, or alternatively in flight right in front of you. Not something so jerky or sloppy as to be obviously digitized, but an example that might at first glance actually look intriguing to Average-Joe-Birder! Something that can stand as a sort of warning or precautionary sample of the capabilities we need be on guard against going forward. Don’t spend toooo much time on this (you’re not getting paid; just a recognition of your talents). Any takers???

I'm doubtful we’re at the stage where such a video (AND storyline) can be produced that could withstand scrutiny and be very persuasive…. but hey, prove me wrong!

[send to me at: cyberthrush@gmail.com]

OK, 2nd unrelated challenge: to read and digest the following passages (from a day ago on Facebook) ;)

This is really only for the deeply-entrenched… a comment from Fred Virrazzi and 4 followup comments from Chuck Hunter (but by time you read this, there could be more back-and-forth added to it?). Topics around IBWO longevity, double-knocks, behavior, and general evidence for recent IBWO persistence… (a number of important, but also often disputed, points brought up):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ivorybillnews/posts/1718185388701324/?comment_id=1721945004992029

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ivorybillnews/posts/1718185388701324/?comment_id=1721945004992029&reply_comment_id=1722548174931712

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ivorybillnews/posts/1718185388701324/?comment_id=1721945004992029&reply_comment_id=1722548511598345

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ivorybillnews/posts/1718185388701324/?comment_id=1721945004992029&reply_comment_id=1722550864931443

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ivorybillnews/posts/1718185388701324/?comment_id=1721945004992029&reply_comment_id=1722551348264728

Anyway, apologies for so much posting at end-of-year when I was expecting quiet-time, other than possibly, perhaps, maybe, perchance, ???, USFWS having something official to say....

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ADDENDUM  12/29:   Now Chuck has added a posting on a different FB group that summarizes much of what he writes above while filling in even more info/details (surely, I think, the longest post he’s ever done on FB). I either agree with, or am neutral on (i.e., less certain about), everything he writes here.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/179784035376368/permalink/7297009460320421/?mibextid=c7yyfP

As an aside, just want to state that I have never met, talked with, nor have any other connection to Mr. Hunter (or anyone else at USFWS for that matter), lest any reader thinks I play favorites in citing him so often. In an arena where almost everyone participating, knowingly or unknowingly, is strongly swayed by their own preconceived biases and/or wishful thinking, have just always found him to be as close to a pillar of objective judgment/knowledge as we have!

ADDENDUM 2:  In a bit of coincidence, I just discovered that Slate ran this article on photoshopped birds on same day as I posted my video challenge above:

https://slate.com/technology/2023/12/ai-generated-birds-santa-cardinal.html

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