Generative AI's impact on autonomy, truth and equality: three regulatory quagmires for the proto- and the metaverse

Artificial Intelligence powers several technological applications, such as deepfakes. In just a few years, deepfake technology has advanced rapidly in terms of quality, speed of production and cost efficiency. Augmented Reality adds an AI-generated layer to physical reality so that our perception of reality is grounded in physical reality but AI-generated sensory input is received on top or instead of that. In Virtual Reality, all sensory input is AI-generated. All these terms do not lend themselves to exact definitions. The definitions for all these developments depend on sliding scales rather than binary distinctions and there is significant overlap. The analysis in the chapter will suggest that although it is clear that synthetic technologies will have significant repercussions for societal interests, good regulatory options and easy fixes are very few and far between. Because of the multiple dimensions of the various technologies in play, insights from various knowledge domains are needed to arrive at comprehensive insights and advanced conclusions.