Deepfakes in Education: A Double-Edged Sword?

Amsterdam, zondag, 12 oktober 2025.
Schools in northern England are experimenting with deepfake avatars of teachers to update students who have missed lessons. Although this seems like a time-saving solution, experts such as Pedro De Bruyckere warn of potential risks. These include legal implications, the loss of human nuances, and the possibility of misuse. The technology promises efficiency but could inadvertently undermine the human aspects of education.

An Experiment with Potential

The Great Schools Trust in northern England has launched an innovative plan to use deepfake avatars of teachers to update students who have missed lessons. These avatars mimic the voice, face, and intonation of the teachers and are considered a ‘time-saving solution’ to keep students up-to-date without requiring additional after-school interventions [1]. According to the school group, this technology can help reduce teacher workload and support students who have missed lessons [1].

Risks and Legal Implications

While the intentions are good, educational psychologist Pedro De Bruyckere warns of potential risks. He notes that deepfakes have a ‘bad reputation’ due to their use in misleading or mocking people [2]. An important legal aspect is the ownership rights of the deepfake avatars. The Great Schools Trust will own the intellectual property of these videos, meaning the avatars will be deleted if the teacher leaves [2]. This can raise ethical questions about the use and ownership of digital doppelgängers.

The Loss of Human Nuances

Another crucial point De Bruyckere emphasises is the loss of human nuances. Much of what teachers do, such as sensing, motivating, and improvising, is difficult to replicate with a deepfake [2]. While the technology can repeat information, it loses the human element of teaching, such as gauging students’ reactions and adapting lesson content. This can lead to reduced effectiveness of teaching and decreased student engagement [2].

The Role of Media Literacy

To mitigate the impact of deepfakes in education, De Bruyckere stresses the importance of media literacy. Research indicates that 65% of students have already encountered fakes [2]. Media literacy is crucial to teach students how to distinguish between real and fake information. Therefore, De Bruyckere suggests incorporating digital authenticity education into the curriculum, with new guidelines to be implemented by 1 November 2025 [2].

Combating Deepfakes

In addition to preventing deepfakes, it is also important to detect them. At Syracuse University, students are collaborating on developing machine learning models to detect deepfakes. The goal is to create a system that can verify live video calls to ensure the authenticity of communication [3]. Jason Davis, a research instructor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, emphasises that the ability to mislead people has not changed, but the scale at which this can be done has significantly increased in the past five years [3].

Practical Tips for Readers

To identify fake news and deepfakes, readers can follow these practical tips:

Check the source: Ensure the information comes from a reliable and known source.
Seek confirmation: Look for the same information from multiple sources to check for consistency.
Analyse the quality: Look for grammatical errors, illogical information, and pixel discrepancies in images or videos.
Use fact-checking websites: Websites like Snopes and FactCheck.org can help verify information.
Be critical: Doubt information that sounds too good to be true or that tries to provoke emotional reactions [3][2].