Deepfake technology has been able to create realistic — but false — renderings of real people and their voices for some time. But, now, with rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence, it is set to become suddenly more sophisticated. How soon, then, before digital impersonators start filling our screens with fake narratives and emptying our bank accounts?
Ever since deepfakes began to be used in film editing, experts feared that the technology might be abused to spread online misinformation or for identity theft and fraud.
As a result, a market for deepfake detection tools quickly developed. These can use AI to monitor the tell-tale signs that content has been faked — based on an understanding of the way deepfakes are created. For example, in the case of a person’s photo, inconsistencies around lighting, shadows and angles, or instances of distortion and blurring, are obvious giveaways.