January 2, 2022

Maya Puterman

10th Grade

Ramaz Upper School

You have likely encountered deepfakes while browsing the internet, scrolling through TikTok, or watching videos on YouTube, without even realizing it. Deepfakes have gotten better and better since they were first created to make people look like they are doing things that in reality they never actually did.

Since then, deepfakes have been created and used for a multitude of different purposes. Today, for example, deepfakes are being used to create more realistic movies and TV shows, being used in museums to create interactive exhibits and to transform the online learning experience for students. However, at the same time, there has been a rise in people using deepfakes to spread false or misleading information and create fake news stories. Examples you may have encountered of deepfakes being used to spread misinformation include the Mark Zuckerberg deepfake which features a deepfake version of Mark Zuckerberg that said things he never actually said.

Deepfakes are made using artificial intelligence and deep learning techniques which enable computer programs to learn and perform tasks on their own. The process of creating a deepfake begins with gathering lots of pictures, soundtracks, or videos of the person they want to create the deepfake of. The programmer then uses these images to train and program an artificial intelligence program. They instruct the program on how they want it to alter the images or videos and make them look like the person is saying or doing something. The process ends with the programmer using the program to create a deepfake.

Though deepfakes are meant to look very realistic, if you look closely at a deepfake image, there are some indicators to look out for to be able to identify whether or not the image is real. Deepfake images might feature a blurred background, blurred hair, different colored eyes, earrings that don’t match, and glasses that look unusual. In addition to the above, deepfake videos can depict the subject of the video as having an unnatural blinking pattern, or audio that does not match the person’s voice. You can practice identifying deepfakes from images of real people on the Which Face is Real website.

It’s important to be aware of deepfakes and fact-check information that you are skeptical about. If you think you have encountered a deepfake, you can report it to an adult, or report the content on the platform that it is being posted on as being false information.