One of the first introductions to deepfakes for audiences around the world was in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, when the titular character meets President John F Kennedy.
The interaction, which seemingly brought actor Tom Hanks face to face with a resurrected JFK in a brief exchange, took many months of work by skilled artists to pull off. Less than 30 years later, a computer can produce the same effect in seconds, with no major investment in time or treasure required, according to researchers at Canada's McGill University writing in Navigating Fake News, Alternative Facts and Misinformation in a Post-Truth World.
Today, deepfakes in film and entertainment are so common they have the simultaneous effect of going completely unnoticed ― mistaken for the real thing ― or going viral for that very reason: the effect is so real, many recent examples of deepfakes have hit headlines and tallied millions of views on TikTok and YouTube.
What is a deepfake?
Deepfakes, also referred to as synthetic media, are computer-generated voices, images and videos created from a combination of AI and machine learning techniques. These are made up of a "generator" that creates samples and a "discriminator" that attempts to differentiate between these samples and real-world samples, according to Venture Beat. Top-performing machine learning models can therefore create realistic portraits of people who do not exist, or images of fictional apartment buildings or replications of public figures doing fictional things.
While creating realistic-looking deepfake videos and images still requires advanced technical knowledge, as these AI systems proliferate, the industry is set to explode because the production of synthetic media will be less exclusive.
Examples of deepfakes
As consumers, our relationship with music, film and advertising may change as the scale of a performer's work is exponentially expanded through synthetic media production.
UK company Synthesia did two commercials with the rapper Snoop Dogg that were so successful one of the company's subsidiaries wanted the same ad. Instead of reshooting, Synthesia used deepfake technology to change Snoop Dogg’s mouth movements to match the subsidiary’s name in the new commercial.
The creator of the viral Tom Cruise deepfakes on TikTok found such mainstream success that he created his own company, Metaphysic, which allows anyone to create a synthetic avatar of themselves.
Another rapper, Kendrick Lamar, debuted a music video this year for his single The Heart Part 5 that relies on deepfake celebrity faces superimposed on the artist as he performs. Actor Mark Hamill was made to look like a younger Luke Skywalker using synthetic media production in the recent Season 2 finale of The Mandolorian.
And English footballer David Beckham got to skip learning new languages for his Malaria No More campaign, where deepfakes were used to help him get his message across in nine different languages.
As examples of this emerging technology proliferate, audiences may begin to wonder where talent ends and computer-generated data begins.
"Cirque du Soleil is so nice because of the artistic element in it, the acrobats doing it, how we are very amazed by these flexible bodies," Ping Shung Koo, co-founder of Data Science Rex in Singapore and an artificial intelligence expert, told The National.
"But what if I now have Cirque du Soleil being performed by robots instead? Would that still capture that attention, that imagination, that wildness, and all that it needs to capture? Will we pay for it?"
AI-generated video, imagery and audio demand the same sort of questions.
How to spot a deepfake
"When it comes to AI-manipulated media, there's no single tell-tale sign of how to spot a fake," according to the MIT Media Lab, which ran an experiment called DetectFakes to develop some tips and tricks for what to look out for.
The Media Lab suggests, after training neural networks on 100,000 deepfake videos and 19,154 real videos to detect manipulated media, that viewers pay close attention to the face, which is what the majority of deepfake producers have manipulated.
More specifically, look to see if the skin is too smooth or wrinkly, because a mismatch in skin ageing is a telltale sign the face has been digitally altered.
Another thing to look at is if there are glasses, because AI-generated media has trouble with depicting glare and how lighting naturally works. Deepfakes also still have a tough time with facial hair, so see if that looks real.
Blinking is another giveaway, according to the Media Lab. If a person blinks too much or too little, it is possibly a deepfake.
How to make a deepfake
One of the more fun ways to explore how deepfakes work is by jumping on Dall-E 2, a product of OpenAI. The AI system can create realistic images and art from a description.
But is it art? "Do submarines swim?" this is how Chris Dixon, a general partner at venture capital outfit Andreeson Horowitz in Silicon Valley, described this current moment in technology in an interview with The New York Times, as machines take on more and more tasks once thought to be the purview of human beings.
"It feels like semantics. They certainly move fast in water. I don’t know if they actually say it’s swimming."
Whether or not Dall-E 2 is producing art is perhaps also a matter of semantics.
"We’re certainly headed for very advanced machines," Mr Dixon said.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Majestic Thunder
7.05pm Commanding
7.40pm Mark Of Approval
8.15pm Mulfit
8.50pm Gronkowski
9.25pm Walking Thunder
10pm Midnight Sands
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ogram%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Kouatly%20and%20Shafiq%20Khartabil%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20On-demand%20staffing%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2050%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMore%20than%20%244%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%2C%20Aditum%20and%20Oraseya%20Capital%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
