Multi-level fakes

“The fear with so-called deep fakes was that they could be used to make it seem as if a public figure had done something unsavory … the sort of scandal that might — in another era — end a career. What we didn’t expect was the dumber future that seems to have arrived: Now anyone can produce slick fan fiction about public figures, paper over reality with pop culture ephemera, and convince themselves and others that they’ve arrived at some hidden truth. — NYTimes Magazine