University College London: Deepfakes are the ‘most serious’ AI crime threat

Researchers from University College London have released a ranking of what experts believe to be the most serious AI crime threats.

The researchers first created a list of 20 expected ways AI will be used by criminals within the next 15 years. 31 experts were then asked to rank them by potential severity.

Deepfakes – AI-generated images, videos, and articles – ranked top of the list as the most serious threat.

New and dangerous territory

It’s of little...

6 August 2020 | Deepfakes

AI bot had to unlearn English grammar to decipher Trump speeches

A developer had to recalibrate his artificial intelligence bot to account for the unconventional grammar and syntax found in President Trump's speeches.

As originally reported by the Los Angeles Times, Bill Frischling noticed in 2017 that his AI bot, Margaret, was struggling to transcribe part of the President's speech from May 4 that year commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. In particular, Margaret crashed after this 127-word section, featuring a...

13 May 2020 | Deep Learning

World’s oldest defence think tank concludes British spies need AI

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) says in an intelligence report that British spies will need to use AI to counter threats.

Based in Westminster, the RUSI is the world’s oldest think tank on international defence and security. Founded in 1831 by the first Duke of Wellington, Sir Arthur Wellesley, the RUSI remains a highly respected institution that’s as relevant today as ever.

AI is rapidly advancing the capabilities of adversaries. In its report, the RUSI...

28 April 2020 | Adoption

Deepfake shows Nixon announcing the moon landing failed

nixon deepfake moon landing usa president ai artificial intelligence

In the latest creepy deepfake, former US President Nixon is shown to announce that the first moon landing failed.

Nixon was known to be a divisive figure but certainly recognisable. The video shows Nixon in the Oval Office, surrounded by flags, giving a presidential address to an eagerly awaiting world.

However, unlike the actual first moon landing – unless you’re a subscriber to conspiracy theories – this one failed.

“These brave men, Neil...

6 February 2020 | Deepfakes

Deepfake app puts your face on GIFs while limiting data collection

deepfake doublicat face swap gif ai artificial intelligence

A new app called Doublicat allows users to superimpose their face into popular GIFs using deep learning technology.

In the name of research, here's one I made earlier:

Doublicat uses a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) to do its magic. The GAN is called RefaceAI and is developed by a company of the same name.

RefaceAI was previously used in a face swapping app called Reflect. Elon Musk once used Reflect to put his face on Dwayne Johnson's...

14 January 2020 | Applications

Facebook pledges crackdown on deepfakes ahead of the US presidential election

facebook deepfakes ai usa presidential elections 2020 artificial intelligence social media

Facebook has pledged to crack down on misleading deepfakes ahead of the US presidential election later this year.

Voter manipulation is a concern for any functioning democracy and deepfakes provide a whole new challenge for social media platforms.

A fake video of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, went viral last year after purportedly showing her slurring her words as if she was intoxicated. The clip shows how even a relatively...

8 January 2020 | Deepfakes

Experts discuss the current biggest threats posed by AI

usa most promising ai artificial intelligence startups cb insights research report

Several experts have given their thoughts on what threats AI poses, and unsurprisingly fake content is the current biggest danger.

The experts, who were speaking on Tuesday at the WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Executive Forum in New York, believe that AI-generated content is of pressing concern to our societies.

Camille François, chief innovation officer at social media analytics firm Graphika, says that deepfake articles pose the greatest danger.

We've already seen...

4 December 2019 | Deepfakes

Deepfake has Johnson and Corbyn advocating each other for Britain’s next PM

corbyn johnson deepfake ai video general election campaign 2019

A think tank has released two deepfake videos which appear to show election rivals Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn advocating each other for Britain’s top role.

The clips are produced by Future Advocacy and intend to show that people can no longer necessarily trust what they see in videos, not just to question what they read and hear.

Here’s the Johnson video:

Boris Johnson has a message for you.#GE2019...

12 November 2019 | Deepfakes

California introduces legislation to stop political and porn deepfakes

Deepfake videos have the potential to do unprecedented amounts of harm so California has introduced two bills designed to limit them.

For those unaware, deepfakes use machine learning technology in order to make a person appear like they’re convincingly doing or saying things which they’re not.

There are two main concerns about deepfake videos:

Personal defamation – An individual is made to appear in a sexual and/or humiliating scene either for blackmail...

7 October 2019 | Deepfakes

Don’t believe your eyes: Exploring the positives and negatives of deepfakes

In 2018 the Reddit community r/deepfakes gained international attention thanks to a piece of investigative journalism by Samantha Cole, deputy editor at VICE.

Members of the forum had been using a burgeoning technology to superimpose celebrities’ faces onto pornographic videos. For the general public – and no doubt the unwitting stars – it was a shock. Most were unaware this technology existed. Very few believed it was possible to produce such realistic footage....

5 August 2019 | Deepfakes