In the misty highlands of northern Thailand, where long-held customs sit beside a fast-moving tech future, the word “deepfakes” often lands with unease. Many people picture election scandals or celebrity hoaxes.
Yet a newer, ethical side of artificial intelligence is steadily changing that story. From hospital wards in Bangkok to lecture halls in London, responsible deepfake tools are starting to support social good, medical progress, and richer learning experiences.
As 2025 unfolds, the focus is shifting. Discussion is no longer only about the risks of synthetic media, but also about how AI-generated likenesses can strengthen human connection and give a voice to those who are usually left out.
Giving Silence a Voice: Deepfakes in Healthcare
One of the most moving uses of synthetic media appears in audiology and the care of people with degenerative diseases. For those living with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or similar conditions that remove their ability to speak, deepfake-style voice tools can help preserve something deeply personal.
Standard text-to-speech devices often produce flat, robotic voices. These systems can sound cold and generic, and they rarely reflect the speaker’s character. Ethical AI developers now draw on old recordings of a patient to build what some call “voice skins”. With this approach, a person can type on a device, yet be heard using their own familiar voice, with recognisable tone, rhythm, and warmth.
Hospitals are also testing AI-driven medical simulations. By generating believable, diverse virtual patients, universities can train students to handle sensitive diagnoses and improve their bedside manner in a safe setting. Systems based on GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) can model a wide range of combined illnesses and emotional reactions, so future doctors learn not only the science, but also the human side of care.
History in Conversation: A New Kind of Classroom
Traditional history lessons often rely on printed text and old photos. Now, some schools are turning those static stories into interactive conversations. A pupil in Chiang Rai learning about the Silk Road might no longer just read a chapter, but “interview” a deepfake version of a 14th-century trader who appears on screen and answers questions.
Platforms such as Synthesia and HeyGen make it easier for teachers to produce video lessons without large budgets. Educators can prepare locally relevant content in many languages, including Northern Thai (Kam Mueang), so students can study complex topics in their mother tongue. This type of visual and spoken teaching often helps pupils remember more, because they link ideas to a human face and voice.
Cultural organisations are joining in as well. Heritage projects use carefully controlled deepfake tools to bring historical figures back into public view. With consent from families or relevant communities, museums can create digital guides that look and sound like past leaders, artists, or scholars. These avatars speak in the first person and explain the meaning of ancient objects, helping visitors feel closer to stories that might otherwise stay behind glass.
Opening Up Media Production
For many years, professional video work was mostly limited to companies with large crews and expensive equipment. Ethical AI video synthesis is changing that balance and giving smaller groups a chance to compete.
- Multilingual marketing: Brands that want to reach several language groups no longer need separate shoots for each market. A single actor can record one version of a message. Deepfake tools then match their lip movements to translated scripts in multiple languages. This process, often called “vocal and visual localisation”, lets a company speak directly to different audiences while keeping a consistent face.
- Accessibility and inclusion: Content producers use synthetic media to add sign language to their videos without new filming sessions. AI-driven avatars can perform sign language in real time or from a script, so deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers gain faster access to information.
- Lower production costs: Small charities, community groups, and start-ups can rely on AI avatars instead of hiring studios, presenters, and film crews. They can produce training materials, safety messages, or public announcements at a much lower cost than using the saved budget for local projects and services.
Ethics, Trust, and the “Liars’ Dividend”
For a journalist at the Chiang Rai Times, one concern rises above the rest: trust. Positive uses of deepfakes grow in the shadow of what experts call the “Liars’ Dividend”. This term refers to the way powerful people can dismiss real footage by claiming “that video is fake”, even when it is authentic.
To respond to this risk, a new standard of “Synthetic Integrity” is taking shape. Groups like the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) are pushing for technical tools such as digital watermarking and detailed metadata. In practice, that means every ethical deepfake can include a hidden digital “passport” that records how it was created and who made it.
Lawmakers are also starting to act. In Southeast Asia and other regions, fresh rules say that any commercial use of a person’s face or voice, whether they are alive or deceased, must have clear legal consent. Under this approach, an “ethical deepfake” is open about its origin. It doesn’t try to fool viewers. Instead, it aims to inform, teach, or entertain within agreed limits that are visible and documented.
Thailand’s Growing Role in Ethical AI
Thailand is in a strong position to guide this more responsible path. The country has a lively film and music scene, plus a growing group of tech professionals. Local start-ups are exploring how AI can support entertainment and culture without crossing ethical lines.
Studios are experimenting with “de-aging” well-known Thai film stars for tribute projects, letting fans see legendary actors as they appeared in earlier decades. Archivists use AI to restore historic footage from the mid-20th century, repairing damage and recovering details that standard methods could not easily fix. These efforts help protect cultural memory and make older works more appealing to younger viewers.
At the same time, many Thai creators stress that people must remain at the centre. Deepfake technology is simply another tool, like the printing press or the internet before it. Its real value depends on why and how humans choose to use it.
Conclusion: Synthetic Media, Real Benefits
The view of deepfakes as purely harmful is starting to soften. Society still needs safeguards against disinformation and fraud, but there is also space to recognise the good that ethical systems can bring.
A doctor who loses their voice but keeps their familiar sound, a pupil who “meets” a historical hero in class, a small shop in Chiang Rai that suddenly speaks to customers in ten languages: these are not far-off dreams. They are early signs of how carefully designed synthetic media can support real lives.
The positive effects of responsible deepfake use are only beginning to reach communities along the Mekong and beyond. Looking ahead, AI has the potential to make digital interactions feel more human, not less, as long as transparency, consent, and respect stay at the heart of every project.
