Fake news is nothing new. In order to manipulate public opinion, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt skilfully twisted the facts. How has the spread of fake news evolved - and what's next in the world of disinformation?

When did it actually begin: the age in which we could no longer believe our own eyes? If you believe the words of Barack Obama, we are currently on a threshold: "We are entering an era in which our enemies can make it look like anyone is saying anything at any point in time," the former President warns in a 2018 video message. Shortly afterward, the face of another man appears next to him in the frame. It belongs to director Jordan Peele who, with the help of artificial intelligence, put his own words into Barack Obama's mouth. The video, which points out the dangers of deepfakes, turns out to be a deepfake itself.

There are now a number of AI-generated videos online. IT experts, futurologists and lawyers, all discuss the possible dangers of deepfakes for our society and the technical possibilities of the digital age. And about the question of what it means when we can no longer distinguish the truth from the untrue because the naked eye can no longer spot the difference. (...)