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What is a deepfake?

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Quick answer

A deepfake is synthetic media — usually video or audio — created by AI to make someone appear to say or do things they never did. It uses neural networks to convincingly swap faces or clone voices, raising serious concerns about misinformation.

Key things to understand

  1. AI generates fake but realistic video, images, or audio.
  2. It can swap faces or clone a person's voice convincingly.
  3. It's made using neural networks trained on real footage.
  4. It poses risks of misinformation, fraud, and harassment.
  5. Detection tools and provenance labels aim to counter it.

People also ask

How is a deepfake made?
AI studies many images or recordings of a person, then generates new media that mimics their face or voice in situations that never happened.
Why are deepfakes dangerous?
They can spread convincing misinformation, enable scams and fraud, and damage reputations by faking words or actions.
Can deepfakes be detected?
Often, through subtle artifacts and AI detectors, but it's an arms race; content provenance and watermarking also help verify what's real.
What are deepfakes?
AI-generated fake media that convincingly shows people saying or doing things they never did.
How are deepfakes made?
Deep-learning models train on real footage of a person to synthesize realistic fake video or audio.

Part of the guide: How AI Works →