Deepfakes: Can You Spot a Phony Video? | Video from KQED’s Above the Noise

Myles breaks down why deepfakes can cause so much damage, and talks to Jabril, the host of YouTube channel Jabrils, about how to spot them.

Today’s internet meme culture thrives on Photoshopping images for comic effect. But there is a newer form of image manipulation using AI technology to create hyper realistic alterations to video. These so-called ”deepfakes” can be very difficult to detect or debunk.

What are deepfakes?
Deepfakes are videos that have been manipulated using AI technology. This tech can scale, rotate or splice videos and images together to alter videos so that they can be very different from the original and tough to spot as fakes.

How do deepfakes spread?
As AI becomes cheaper and more accessible to more people, deepfakes are more difficult to detect. Social media platforms like Youtube, Facebook and Twitter help to spread them, partially because of the ease and speed of sharing.

ABOVE THE NOISE is a show that cuts through the hype and takes a deeper look at the science behind controversial and trending topics in the news.  Hosted by Myles Bess and Shirin Ghaffary.

This series is aimed at teens, but after viewing a few episodes, I’m sure that most adults will benefit from it as well. Let us know what you think.

This is another installment of KQED’s Above the Noise series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you.   [Chuck Almdale]