Mateusz Łabuz has just defended his PhD thesis at the Chemnitz University of Technology. Congratulations on achieving that landmark!

Mateusz’s PhD project was devoted to regulating deepfakes and their systemic harmfulness. The dissertation addressed the political use of deepfakes and examined how this technology influences systemic risks and rivalry in international politics. Deepfakes, which have become increasingly widespread since 2017, pose a major challenge to democratic systems because they enable manipulation that undermines trust in public information and media, leads to the discrediting of individuals, and enables multi-level manipulation in various areas of social and political life.

Mateusz analyzed the profound impact of deepfakes on political processes, particularly in election campaigns, and examined their potentially destabilizing effects on democracy. At the same time, he proposed an important shift in thinking about the political consequences of the misuse of deepfakes, and presented a broad interdisciplinary perspective on the growing categories of harmful uses.

A central theme of his dissertation was the European response to the challenges posed by deepfakes, particularly in the context of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. He emphasized that stronger regulatory control is necessary to mitigate the negative effects of this technology while protecting fundamental democratic values.