The Ethics of Deepfakes for Cultural Heritage: A Hybrid Exhibition of Reanimated Jonathan Edwards as a Test Case

‘Deepfakes,’ synthetic media generated by deep neural networks, have become increasingly common in many sectors, from social media, edtech, and business marketing to museum exhibitions. This trend raises ethical concerns about voice and image manipulation. Unlike living subjects, historical figures cannot contest replications of their image and voice, making ethical considerations crucial. This poster explores ethical issues through our use of an 18th-century historical figure as a test case, documenting strategic and technical challenges. Reflecting on our ethical decisions, we offer recommendations on less-discussed issues such as accent cloning and reanimating figures from diverse historical communities.

ACH 2025 Conference, June 11-13, 2025