Taylor Swift AI Deepfakes: Everything You Need To Know About This Alarming Technology

The influence of deepfakes has swept across the landscape of social media, leaving an indelible mark on the digital realm. While these technologically advanced simulations captivate the amusement of some, the consequences run far deeper for others. The impact of these deepfakes resonates not merely as entertainment but as a force that at times, jeopardizes the very essence of personal and professional identities.

This is what happened with popstar Taylor Swift recently where deep fakes of her graphic images surfaced all over the internet.

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What are deep fakes, and how do they work?

Deep fakes are basically used via artificial intelligence to create a digitally forged image and video of a person to make them look like someone completely else. There are several different ways in which deep fakes are created, but the most common means is by using deep neural networks involving autoencoders that employ a face-swapping technique.

For this, all you need to do is use the video you need to target to make the deepfake. Then you'll need a collection of other videos of the person whose face you want to swap. Both videos don't need to be related at all. The targeted video can be a clip from a popular movie. The other collection of videos for the face swap can just be some random home videos as well.

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How is AI technology working to create deep fakes?

If you are wondering how AI technology works for creating deep fakes, there are a lot of deep learning algorithms that help with that. Primarily, GAN (Generative Adversarial Networks) and computer vision technology are used. GANs consist of two neural networks, a generator and a discriminator, that work against each other to generate new data that is similar to a training set. The generator network here is trained to create new images or videos that mimic the facial expressions and movements of a specific person, while the discriminator network tries to distinguish between the generated content and real content. This can create a highly realistic-looking deep fake.

Is this technology dangerous?

As of now, deep fakes are used for fun videos and for creating hilarious content. It is even used for entertainment. However, this technology is getting more and more accessible to beginners, so you don't have to be an expert to create deep fakes.

There are several different software and apps, including the Chinese app Zao, DeepFace Lab, FaceApp (which is a photo editing app with built-in AI techniques), and Face Swap, that can easily create deep fakes. Most of these apps are used for entertainment purposes, so they are not banned at the moment. However, the technology is bound to get more sophisticated, which will make it difficult to differentiate the fake from the real one. This can lead to malicious activities related to election interference, political tension, and additional criminal activity.

Several celebrities both in Hollywood and Bollywood have been subjected to the deepfake trend which has been a serious cause of concern. Actors such as Rashmika Mandana and recently music icon Taylor Swift were subjected to it. However, Swifties, the dedicated global fanbase of the singer, managed to overshadow the problematic search term on the platform by flooding it with alternative posts using the same keywords. Despite these efforts, reports suggest that explicit images persist on X.

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How can you detect a deep fake?

Currently, there are different ways to spot if a picture or a video is a deep fake or not. Here are some ways you can find out:

There may not be any blinking of the eyes

As humans, it is obvious to see if a person is real or not, and one of the easiest ways is to see if they are blinking. Now if a video continues for several minutes and the person in the video hasn't blinked all through it, it can be a great sign to detect the deepfake.

The face may be misaligned

If you look closely and notice that the face seems a little off from the background, then it may be a deep fake. This can include the face appearing blurry or misaligned. It seems different from the rest of the body.

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Discolouration

If you notice that the face or the head has a difference in lighting or that the colour of the face differs from that of the background, then this can be your cue. It can also have different shadows or none at all.

Unusual audio

The focus is more on images rather than on the audio. So, if you notice a difference in audio, pronunciation, language, or anything else, then it can be a deepfake.

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The increasing prevalence of deepfake technology poses a growing threat as its accessibility expands to a wider audience. As this technology becomes more democratized, it becomes imperative for society to address the ethical, legal, and security concerns associated with deepfakes, working towards comprehensive measures that mitigate their harmful impacts and protect individuals from the potential misuse of this powerful tool.

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