A Beginner’s Guide to: What is a deep fake?

Deep fakes are not new. Recently, the AI images created of pop star Taylor Swift raised heightened concerns about the use of deep fakes and has prompted calls for better legislation. As investigations continue about the technology used, let’s have a look into this type of AI a little further.

So what is a deep fake?

A deepfake is a video or audio clip that looks real but isn’t. It's made using AI that can put one person’s face or voice onto someone else's body in a video.

To create a deepfake, a specific form of AI such as deep learning is used, which learns how someone looks or sounds from multiple pictures or recordings. Then, the AI can take that face or voice and put it onto another person in a different video or recording. It's like teaching a computer to be a really good copycat.

The good and the bad - why do people make deep fakes?

For fun: Sometimes, people make deepfakes for fun, like putting a friends face in a holiday destination they are dreaming of or maybe placing them in a dream job that might feel beyond them.

To trick people: Other times, deepfakes can be used to make it look like someone said or did something they didn’t, which can be harmful.

In movies or games: Deepfakes can also be used in movies or video games to make characters look more real.

So why are deepfakes such a big thing?

Deepfakes can be a big deal because they can make it hard to tell what is real and what is not. This can be especially tricky when it comes to news or information we rely on to make decisions.

• They can be confusing. It can be hard to know if what we are watching is true or not.

• They can be used to mislead. Sometimes, people use deepfakes to spread false information.

Deepfakes are a fascinating part of our digital world although it is important to stay aware and question things, especially when a video or recording seems a little off.

Want to learn more?

Here are some prompts you can try :

“How can I protect myself from being a victim of deepfake attacks?”

“How can I spot a deep fake image or video?”

Image below: Fake image of our co-founder, Emma, in a space suit. Created with Stable Diffusion 1.5, using image to image method. Image prompt: woman in a spacesuit in space, earth and stars in the background, photo, portrait, highly detailed.