In recent years computer scientists have come up with several different ways of creating false videos of people using Artificial Intelligence (AI). These videos are usually called “deepfakes”. Some deepfakes work by putting the face of one person onto a different person in a video. Others work by taking an existing video of a person and changing it so that the person says or does something they didn't say or do.

At first, creating deepfakes was complex. It required special knowledge, hundreds of pictures of the person who was being faked, and lots of time. Now it's much simpler. There are websites and apps that allow almost anyone to create deepfakes. An app recently came out which allowed users to put their faces into famous movie scenes. The process lakes about eight seconds, requires one picture, and can be done on a mobile phone. One group of computer scientists created a program that allowed them to edit the words conning out of someone's mouth in a video just like you might edit a document on the computer.

It's one thing to swap the faces of famous actors. But what happens if someone puts out a fake video of a politician, for example, making it look like they broke the law? There's also the problem of the time it takes to figure out that something is fake. Even if a video is proven to be fake, it could be too late. Millions of people might have already seen and believed it. On the other hand, what happens if a video is actually real, but people don't trust it because they're told it's a deepfake?

Many deepfakes are so good that only another AI system can tell that they're fake. Experts are working hard to create new AI tools that can identify faked videos. Many people are confident that people can defeat deepfakes soon. However, personally, it is very challenging because this technology has always fallen behind the deepfakes.

Recently, Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta. The company said it would better include what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR). The CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the existing brand could not possibly represent everything that they’re doing today, let alone in the future. He also revealed the company’s plans to build a “metaverse（元宇宙）” — an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment.

The term “metaverse” was invented by author Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash, a science fiction published in 1992. In the work, the metaverse is a sort of 3D virtual world. It’s not simply a virtual reality game but is a persistent and shared virtual world. Or rather, the metaverse is a whole universe of shared virtual spaces seemingly linked together — you could, essentially, teleport（瞬移）between them.It was also recognized as a collective virtual open space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality.

Metaverse combined at the very least five technologies — they are social media, online game, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and crypto-currency（加密货币）. Those technologies will bring users to an interactive world. AR and VR are vital for Metaverse. VR serves to present the virtual world visually and then AR will provide the audio and sensors for people to be able to interact. With Metaverse, Facebook will offer not only a texting service but also a multi-perspective virtual touch that feels like a real thing.Also of note,Enterprises（企业） can achieve better engagement, collaboration and connection with their employees through virtually augmented workspaces.

Facebook said that it plans to create 10,000 jobs in Europe over the next five years to work on metaverse-related endeavours. The company also has introduced Oculus-branded virtual-reality headsets, and it joined with Ray-Ban to develop smart sunglasses that went on sale for $299. “Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards,” Mark Zuckerberg said. “I view this work as critical to our mission because delivering a sense of presence — like you’re right there with another person — that’s the highest goal of online social experiences,” he said.

Nowadays we feel that we have become dependent on our computers, mobile phones and other media, and that we need these things to think and act creatively. But a recent study seems to indicate that the best thing we might be able to do for our creativity is to leave all of these high-tech (高科技) toys at home and just take a walk in the woods.

In the study, David L. Strayer and his fellow researchers worked with 30 men and 26 women who were about to go on a four-day hike, during which they would be taken away from all of the creative toys mentioned above. Before the hike began, Strayer gave the participants (参与者) a standardized Remote Associates Test, which is often used to test creativity and creative problem-solving abilities. After the hike, they were given the test again. The result showed that there was a 50% improvement in the participants’ creative problem-solving abilities. As Strayer says, “This is a great effect.”

This study is the first to document systematic changes in higher-level cognitive (认知的) function connected with entering nature. The researchers suggest that the effect nature seems to have on improving creative thinking is due to the lack of distractions (分心的事) in the natural environment — there are no ringing phones, noisy computers, etc. Other studies have shown that the colour green — the colour of much of nature — is felt by the brain as relaxing, and that increased relaxation may be one of the factors that improve creativity.

None of this is exactly news. The benefits of nature for the mind have been known for centuries. The philosopher and author Henry David Thoreau spoke eloquently (富于表现力地) about the two years he spent in the countryside. The experience certainly seemed to develop his creativity — he went on to write almost 50 books. Given this recent study, it looks as if his advice in Walden to “simplify, simplify, simplify” is good — if you want to relax your mind and make it become more creative, take a walk in the woods, and leave your cellphone behind.