Deepfake Meaning

Sep 10, 2024 | Updated Sep 10, 2024

A Deepfake is a kind of synthetic media produced using artificial intelligence (AI).

What Is a Deepfake?

If you’ve spent some time on the internet, then you’ve probably come across a deepfake. Whether it is your favorite artist collaborating with a reimagined late artist in 2024, or a content creator dancing with a celebrity from a different part of the world.

Deepfake, a portmanteau of “deep learning” and “fake,” refers to artificial or digitally altered media that uses a person’s likeness. Deepfakes are usually created through a combination of machine learning (ML) algorithms, image processing techniques, and AI.

Illicit deepfakes

Artificial media generated using this AI technology is becoming increasingly convincing, making it difficult to discern digitally manipulated content from authentic media. This has led to malicious actors misusing it for nefarious purposes such as:

Spreading misinformation and fake news – Deface the trust in institutions and media by spreading false information, misleading content, or manipulating election outcomes by tarnishing political campaigns.
Identity theft and financial fraud – Duplicate or steal the identities of real people to commit financial fraud or other crimes that incriminate the identity theft victim.
Scams and hoaxes – Scams, financial crimes, and false claims that can undermine an organization’s integrity, brand, and public reputation.
Social engineering – Social engineering attacks, such as fooling victims with audio deepfakes into believing a close friend or trusted entity needs financial aid.
Automating disinformation attacks – Fuel conspiracy and incorrect theories regarding political and social issues.

Acceptable use cases

Deepfake AI equally holds potential for acceptable applications in voice cloning and creative arts. Other acceptable use cases include:

Entertainment – It can be used in creating parodies and satire in entertainment and political speech.
Demonstrating technology – It also exhibits the advancement in technology in technical show demonstrations, films, research and development, and news report fields.
Historical recreations – Historians can use deepfakes to recreate historical events or animate relics and old paintings.
Creative derivative simulations – Deepfake technology can also be used to reimagine pseudo-historic recordings, books, films, and other media to appear as if they were produced before the original art itself.