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Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is perhaps best known for his podcast Star Talk, where he discusses various scientific topics with experts from around the world.
But he also recently became the victim of a deepfake video in which, after much deliberation, he apparently told the world that the Earth was actually flat.
Tyson, 67, is currently on tour with his talk “This Is Just In: The Latest Discoveries in the Universe!” He recently spoke with CBC News to talk about the deepfake video, what keeps him up at night, and what it's like to be called a “creepy killer.” The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Nicole Mortillaro: This deepfake was just wild. How concerned are you about the spread of misinformation and disinformation?
Neil deGrasse Tyson: I've thought about it, and the better the deepfakes get, the more likely it is… to be the death of artificial intelligence.Ernet. The Internet, you know, from 1992 to 2028, and then it shows cat videos again like it used to. So I think that if it continues like this, it contains within itself the seeds of its own disintegration.
NM: Do you think the Internet will die out?
NK: If deepfakes are not limited in some way… if you start doing this to politicians who are in sensitive areas of the world, where there is unrest, where there is political tension, it could not only lead to the collapse of informed democracy, it could lead to the collapse of civilization itself.
WATCH | Tyson about trying to tell what it really is:
NM: What do you think about scientific literacy and critical thinking? Are they under threat?
NK: It's not that there is less critical thinking. It's just that if you're not a critical thinker, the consequences more for you: in your health, in your safety and the like. And they don't teach critical thinking in science classes—in school at all—and maybe it's time for the whole class to become one. I think the education system needs to change in response to this.
NM: Let's move on to the space stuff. Because these are my things.
NK: Let's.
NM: What might be keeping you up at night about the universe, about space?
Astrophysicist and science teacher Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down with CBC's Nicole Mortillaro to talk about his recent experience with a deepfake of himself, exciting developments in space science and how he really feels about being called a “noisy killer” for his spin-off science commentary on movies.
NK: I wonder if we're smart enough to ever figure it all out? Why should we be smart enough to understand the Universe? Maybe, for example, a more intelligent alien would be needed?
It's like the proverbial blind men touching an elephant. You know, there are toenails, a tusk and a tail, and none of their descriptions match each other. And so they scratch their heads, not seeing the whole coherent elephant… How blind are we, with our weak intellects, to what might be necessary to understand the Universe? I'm stayingI wake up at night and ask myself this question.
NM: What fascinated me was the fact that until 100 years ago we didn't know that those little fuzzy objects in the sky visible through telescopes were real galaxies. And now we have photographed black holes at the centers of galaxies. We have made great leaps in just one hundred years. Do you think there will be a similar big leap in the next hundred years?
NK: I don't see why not. I mean, look at what we knew 100 years ago compared to what we knew in 2000. And what we knew in 1900 compared to 1800… I think there will be breakthroughs. I don't know what will happen [breakthroughs] … and I'm not here to list what problems will arise in 75 years, in 2100, because that's a stupid idea.
NM: I'm going to ask you a slightly delicate question. You've recently developed a reputation as an expert. How do you feel about this?
NK: If I point out something in a film that would have been or could have been different, I will do just that. So, what I will highlight is that if the director, writer and producer had gotten the science right, they could have told a better story. This is where I would argue. Don't tell me, “Well, I don't want to be limited by science.”
As far as being a fashion killer, I don't want to be treated differently than someone, say, a car expert, and then there's a period film set in, say, 1958 and then there's a 1962 Chevy Bel Air parked on the street. You'd say, “Hey, you know your car.” This man could be respected for knowing this… But when I point out that BB-8 [from Star Wars] it's a rolling spherical metal ball that would slide uncontrollably across the sand, are you going to say I'm a murderer? I amI want the same respect that you give to other film professionals.
