Many new advancements in Artificial Intelligence have given rise to new technologies.
The deepfake technology results from learning algorithms that allow AI technologies to understand human gestures and movements to replicate them easily.
Even though the technology is not yet very widespread, it is better to educate people about the dangers of deepfakes.
According to ExpressVPN, deepfake technology is very similar to the Mandela effect as it succeeds in altering false memories of certain events in the minds of people.
This is attained by replicating and imitating real-life people and creating digitally layered videos or photos with them.
Deepfakes are not heavily used at the moment, but chances are every Internet user has seen at least one deepfake video if they are heavily active on social media platforms.
Let’s see how deepfake can impact people’s mindsets and how they can be damaging to businesses.
What Is Deepfake
A deepfake is essentially a form of AI technology that helps users generate synthetic media by modifying digital videos and other content.
Deepfake technology makes it easier for people to deceive viewers by overlaying other people’s features on their videos and portraying them as them.
The deepfakes have started to garner negative attention due to the malicious reasons it is being used for.
So, here are some dangers of deepfakes and how you can spot deepfake videos on the Internet.
How Deepfake Can Affect Businesses
Before we discuss how deepfake can impact businesses negatively, let’s see how they can be used for malicious reasons.
Deepfake become well-known among online users due to certain bullying and financial fraud incidents.
These videos put into perspective for higher authorities that such technologies are being used for destructive reasons.
After certain incidents became known to law enforcement as well as media companies, they have been trying to limit the use of deepfake technology.
Since deepfakes have evolved to a stage where they are very convincing to viewers, many industries are working together to curb their usage altogether.
Industries and organizations have unanimously decided that using deepfake technology can be highly damaging to their consumers and business.
Deepfakes are not limited to creating synthetic videos, but they can generate texts, audio recordings, and other forms of manipulated content. This poses a huge reputational threat to business organizations.
Deepfake technology is so easily available these days that anyone with a grudge can target a company by creating altered videos that can invariably affect the company and suffer huge losses for them.
Deepfakes can be used not only to create fake videos but also to spread disinformation and misinformation, drive propaganda campaigns, and even alter historical footage.
Even if a video is being branded as a deepfake, the viewers who have already seen the video will inherently believe in the information they received. This can not only be damaging to businesses but to any individual that is being targeted.
How To Spot A Deepfake
Due to all the dangers mentioned above of deepfake technology, viewers online need to understand and learn how to spot deepfake videos.
It is important to note that there are many obvious signs in a deepfake video, and they are surprisingly easy to spot if you see and hear them closely.
First and foremost, viewers must remember that deepfake technology usually creates a 3D overlay of people and tries to imitate them.
However, natural human movements are quite difficult to replicate completely, so try to look out for unnatural movements in the eyes and facial features of the person you are looking at.
Similarly, some very minuscule distortions and transformations are present in a deepfake video. If you look closely, it is easy to see these sudden unwanted shifts in the video.
Additionally, deepfake videos make people’s features and movements quite stiff and awkward. So any sort of weird and robotic movements within a video must be a dead giveaway of a deepfake.
Deepfake videos are quite inconsistent with the shading and lighting of certain objects.
So if the lighting of the video is not consistent, or the objects in the background move or change unnaturally, chances are you are watching a deepfake video.
Conclusion
It can not be denied that deepfake is quite an advanced technology, but it is equally important to note that it is equally dangerous.
It can be said that creating such powerful tools for people that can use them for malicious reasons is not good.
Not only does deepfake spread a huge amount of misinformation, but it can be solely responsible for creating false memories for the viewers of these videos.
So when it comes to creating preventive measures for the technology, currently, no laws and rules restrict its usage.
It completely falls on the shoulders of online users to spot deepfake videos to avoid falling into the trap of misleading information.
