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Medieval Church Cited Fake Imperial Decree for Centuries
Confirmed
In Short: The fake imperial decree was used to try to justify expanding papal control throughout the Italian peninsula.
Throughout the Middle Ages, at least 10 popes cited a fraudulent claim that Emperor Constantine I had transferred authority over Rome and the Western part of the Roman Empire to Pope Sylvester I in the early 300s.
Charlemagne’s father, Pepin the Short, had previously granted the church sovereignty over what became known as the Papal States, a group of territories on the Italian peninsula.
In 1054, as the church split into two branches – the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic Church – Pope Leo IX wrote a letter where he invoked the Donation by name for the first time.
As a scholar of medieval history, I’m interested in how the forerunners of today’s deepfakes perplexed and captivated scholars in early modern Europe and how they were debunked.
With deepfakes on the rise, forgery and deception are often viewed as distinctly modern problems – a new era of misinformation made possible by artificial intelligence.
And in some cases, the consequences of these deceptions set off enormous ramifications for centuries thereafter.
The fake imperial decree was used to try to justify expanding papal control throughout the Italian peninsula.
Dolly Parton’s sister has condemned the AI deepfakes circulating in the wake of the beloved American icon’s death.
Stella Parton, 77, addressed fake AI-generated images and videos of her sister in a statement shared to Instagram Friday.
She thanked fans of the larger-than-life country singer for their “genuine” support.
Fake videos showing Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night TV talk show hosts are mushrooming on social media.
Jed Rosenzweig, the founder and editor of the online publication LateNighter.com, has been investigating the rise of these deepfakes.
What this adds
The medieval forgery known as the Donation of Constantine had lasting impacts on church-state relations, while modern deepfakes are increasingly used to manipulate public opinion and create disinformation.
What's confirmed
- Throughout the Middle Ages, at least 10 popes cited the same fraudulent claim, which asserted that Emperor Constantine I had transferred authority over Rome and the Western part of the Roman Empire to Pope Sylvester I in the early 300s.
- Charlemagne’s father, Pepin the Short, had granted the church sovereignty over what became known as the Papal States, a group of territories on the Italian peninsula.
- In 1054, as the church split into two branches – the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic Church – Pope Leo IX wrote a letter where he invoked the Donation by name for the first time.
- (The Conversation) — With deepfakes on the rise, forgery and deception are often viewed as distinctly modern problems – a new era of misinformation made possible by artificial intelligence.
- And in some cases, the consequences of these deceptions set off enormous ramifications for centuries thereafter.
- As a scholar of medieval history, I’m interested in how the forerunners of today’s deepfakes perplexed and captivated scholars in early modern Europe and how they were debunked.
- Eventually referred to as the “Donation of Constantine,” this forged imperial degree was used to try to justify expanding papal control throughout the Italian peninsula.
What's still developing
- Lillard starred as the original killer, Stu Macher, in the first 1996 movie, and returned as the villain in the seventh installment, which used AI deepfakes as a psychological weapon thanks to a partnership with film had with Meta AI.
- But the whole world should have popped up and said, ‘She’s right.’ And they didn’t.
- “It’s not about the most clever comments, fake AI garbage or snarky tweets.” “At the end of the day or the end of a life, how will you feel about yourself?” I’m a reporter on NBC News’ breaking news team, covering crime, extreme weather, pop culture and more.
- Rosenzweig said the fake videos, many of which make fun of or criticize Trump, could strengthen his administration's resolve at a time when the Federal Communications Commission and ABC are in a legal battle over free speech rights.
- They said they use likeness detection and moderation technologies to find unauthorized deepfakes as well as provide ways for victims of these simulations to request takedowns themselves.
- These videos, made using generative AI, are in some ways easier to create than deepfakes of other types of celebrity — and could potentially be more disruptive.