Thanks to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, we now find ourselves in a time where digital manipulation has the ability to influence our perception of reality. Deepfake technology is one of the many AI technologies recently gaining substantial popularity. Even though this technology can be a powerful tool for generating media, it can also leave us questioning the authenticity of what we see and hear.
Deepfake technology can be heavily beneficial in media and entertainment, and there is no denying that it can also be heavily misused. ExpressVPN revealed that the number of deepfakes on the internet is in the millions, and the amount of expert-crafted deepfakes continues to increase.
Why Are Deepfakes Popular
Deepfake technology has become popular because it can easily synthesize artificial media. Technology can be beneficial in the field of digital art and graphic media. However, since the technology is not completely regulated, it can be very heavily misused by cyber criminals with malicious intent. Deepfakes can not only be used by scammers to scam people, but they can further increase the spread of false news. Not only this but deepfakes can be used to spread certain propaganda or sway public opinion on certain political matters.
It is, after all, not very easy to spot a deepfake on the internet. If you are also wondering about the legitimacy of a video and whether it can be a deepfake or not, then here's what you can do to spot a deepfake easily.
How To Spot A Deepfake
Here are some things that you can notice if you intend to spot a deepfake. First and foremost, remember that deep fake technology essentially overlays a 2D image over a 3D image which can result in certain glitches and awkward transformations within the video. So if you take a look at a moving object and how its boundary interacts with the background objects, you will be able to see certain discrepancies quite easily.
Similarly, deepfake technology makes a certain pattern change in the audio, which creates a consistent pattern. However, normal human language has no strict pattern, so it can be a dead giveaway if the audio is robotic or too perfect.
Deepfake technology is usually used in videos where the object is not moving too much. This is because sudden movements can create discrepancies within the video. So, if you take a look at the eye and lip movements of the object in a video, you will easily be able to tell whether it is a deepfake or not. Not only this, but the movement of joints and hands, and fingers can also be a dead giveaway of a deepfake if the movement seems awkward or too robotic.
Lastly, keep in mind that most deepfake video source references different videos. This results in inconsistent lighting within the video. So if you keep a lookout for glitches or inconsistencies in the object or background lighting, you will easily be able to tell whether a video is deepfake or not.
Conclusion
Artificial Intelligence technologies can be heavily beneficial for the automation of a lot of processes and tasks. However, technologies like deepfake pose a question about the negative impacts of using AI technologies and how they can affect viewers' memory.
