Technology
What is a deepfake?
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.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains a deepfake.
Key things to understand
- 1AI generates fake but realistic video, images, or audio.
- 2It can swap faces or clone a person's voice convincingly.
- 3It's made using neural networks trained on real footage.
- 4It poses risks of misinformation, fraud, and harassment.
- 5Detection tools and provenance labels aim to counter it.
Frequently asked questions
- 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.