Deepfake is a type of synthetic media that uses AI to manipulate or generate visual and audio content, often with a malicious motive, to appear authentic
Several celebrities including Virat Kohli, Rashmika Mandanna, Sachin Tendulkar, Ratan Tata, Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra have fallen victim to deepfakes
Image: Instagram/virat.kohli
It emerged in 2017 when a Reddit user with the same name created a platform to share pornographic videos generated using open-source face-swapping technology
Deepfake uses a form of AI called deep learning to make images or videos of fake events
Deepfakes, a blend of real and fabricated media, have emerged as a threat to public trust and truth
Image: Pixaby
By creating videos or audios of people saying or doing things they never did, deepfakes manipulate public perception, spread misinformation, tarnish reputations
Image: iStock
Generating deepfakes often involves utilizing deep neural networks and a face-swapping technique
Image: File
A target video acts as the bedrock of the deepfake, while a collection of video clips showcasing the desired individual is amassed
In deepfake videos, a person's lip movements or blinking may not align well and can be used to spot it
Image: File
This discrepancy arises from the AI algorithm's potential inability to precisely track the person's eye and mouth movements
Image: File
However, the ever-improving AI makes it harder to spot what is fake or what is real due to the advanced technological tools
Several online subscription-based tools like WeVerify or Sentinel can also help detect fake content