AI-generated deepfake content is all over the internet today and is getting harder to spot. These fake photos, videos, or audio clips can feature real and fictional people. Hackers and scammers have begun using this technology in elaborate cyber attack campaigns, from phishing attacks to interfering in national security matters. Here is a look at what deepfakes are, how they are made, and how AI systems are fighting deepfake cyber attacks.
What Are Deepfakes?
Deepfakes are heavily-doctored fraudulent video or audio clips that closely match a real person’s appearance, voice, intonation, and speaking patterns. Typically, the deepfake creator will use a machine learning algorithm to train an AI system using numerous video and audio samples. The AI essentially becomes an expert on the subject’s mannerisms to such a degree that it can create a believable fake clip of the person saying or doing things they have never actually done.