All about deepfakes
The word deepfake is a combination of two words – deep learning and fake. Put simply, deepfakes are fake media created using deep learning technology. In the past decade, there have been significant advances in machine learning and generative models – models that create content instead of merely classifying it. These models (such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)) can synthesize images that look real – even of human faces!
Deepfake technology is readily accessible to attackers and malicious actors today. It requires no sophistication or technical skills. As an experiment, head over to the website thispersondoesnotexist.com. This website allows you to generate images of people – people who have never existed!
For example, the people in the following figure are not real. They are deepfakes that have been generated by thispersondoesnotexist.com, and it only took a few seconds!
Figure 5.1 –...
