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Jan 2023
41m 6s

Babbage: How to detect a deepfake

The Economist
About this episode

Digital fakery, from the latest generation of deepfakes to lower-tech trickery, threatens to erode trust in societies and can prevent justice from being served. But how can technology be used to both detect deepfakes and authenticate real images?


Patrick Traynor, a professor at the University of Florida, explains a novel method to expose audio generated by artificial intelligence. Ilke Demir of Intel Labs demonstrates how to spot visual fakery by analysing colour changes in the face. Plus, The Economist’s Benjamin Sutherland investigates the flipside of deepfakes: how to prove that footage is real. And Wendy Betts of eyeWitness to Atrocities explains how her technology is being used as evidence for war crimes. Alok Jha hosts.


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