Synthetic Human Memories: AI-Edited Images and Videos Can Implant False Memories and Distort Recollection
Name
3706598.3713697.pdf
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3.43 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7c1132813579a0974924980f0a547c5e
Author(s)
Pataranutaporn, Pat
Archiwaranguprok, Chayapatr
Chan, Samantha
Loftus, Elizabeth
Maes, Pattie
Date Issued
April 25, 2025
Publisher
ACM|CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Citation
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.
Version
Final published version
Description
CHI ’25, Yokohama, Japan
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713697
