Deepfake – what is it, and what are its applications?

The invention of artificial intelligence has changed our world: now, it has become straightforward to pass off fantasy as truth. For example, to create so-called deepfakes – realistic fakes that can deceive anyone. We tell you what deepfake is, why and who needs it, and how to make it yourself.

Immediately note – to play online Andar Bahar real cash, you do not need to use deepfake – it is enough to be an adult Internet user.

What is a deepfake, in simple words?

The word “deepfake” comes from a combination of two words: deep learning and fake. In short, it is an image in which a person’s face is not natural but has been created or altered by artificial intelligence.

Deepfake Technology

Let’s start with the people who create deepfakes: neural networks. A neural network is a mathematical model based on the same principles on which networks of nerve cells in living organisms are based. Neural networks are capable of self-learning, just like the human brain.

To create a deepfake, we use the methods of the generative-adversarial network (abbreviated as GAN), which are two neural networks, a generator and a discriminator. The first one processes thousands of images of the object and creates images itself based on them, and the second one tries to determine how similar the resulting picture is to the real thing. As a result, they play with each other all the time: the generator tries to fool the discriminator, and the discriminator tries to calculate a fake. As a result, both networks improve, eventually creating the most realistic image possible.

Neural networks can create characters that look remarkably like real people, like the robot blogger Lil Miquela, who has 2.9 million followers on a social network.

It is also possible to create a fake image of a natural person. GANs also allow you to imitate the voice. It, however, is often used for fraudulent purposes.

Benefits and dangers

There are examples of when people use deepfakes in modern art. For instance, specialists created a digital version of the world-famous artist for the 115th anniversary of Salvador Dali on the initiative of his museum in Florida. The resemblance is incredible: a virtual genius talks to visitors and even takes selfies with them.

Sometimes deepfake is involved in social campaigns. For example, an American nonprofit organization “brought to life” Joaquin Oliver, who died in a school shooting in 2018. A replica of the young man who died urged viewers to go to the polls and vote for politicians fighting for the freedom to bear arms to be restricted. Admittedly, after the video was released, there was a lot of discussion on social media about whether it was ethical to make videos of dead people who could no longer speak their minds for themselves. However, it should be noted that the video did its job and drew public attention to the safety problem in American schools.

And yet, very often, deepfakes are not used with good intentions. What about blatant videos that use the faces of famous actors or fraud schemes that cost their victims hundreds of thousands of dollars?

In 2019, attackers pulled off a massive scam, tricking a representative of a large British company with the help of voice deepfakes. The scammers created an artificial voice of a company executive and convinced a subordinate to transfer money to their accounts through phone calls.

There are cases when the creators of deepfakes begin to blackmail people, threatening to leak a fake, compromising video of their “participation” on the Web. It happened to Indian journalist Rana Ayub, who was exposing abuses of power structures. The video went viral, and it became an ordeal for the woman.

How to recognize deepfake

Deepfake technology is yet to be so advanced that the average user can’t spot it. So what are the signs that help you recognize deepfake:

• The subject needs to move more evenly.
• The voice does not sync well with the lip movements.
• Models may not have the same colour in their right and left eyes.
• The subject may not blink at all (or blink oddly).
• Particular attention should be paid to the eyes and teeth: the eyes may lack glare, and the teeth may appear poorly drawn.

Another clue may lie in the shape of the face: because of the approximate imposition of the mask, sometimes there are unexpected shadows in the nose, the contour of the beginning “moves”, and strands of hair in the movement leave “holes”.

Where to use deepfake

Despite all the notorious abuses, the use of deepfake for the average user looks entirely innocent. They are created for entertainment, bringing the Mona Lisa to life or turning Brad Pitt into the Terminator.

In addition, deepfake technology allows you to create something interesting – say, turn primitive sketches or children’s drawings into realistic images, as does the GauGAN technology, named after the artist Paul Gauguin.

And there are also possible scientific applications for the special algorithm – for example, in astrophysics to remove noise and achieve better images.

Top 10 best apps for creating deepfakes

You can create deepfakes for your pleasure – to see how your face will look old or how you will look as a man if you’re a woman, and vice versa.

Zao

The Chinese app Zao blew up the Internet in 2019 and immediately hit the top 3 in China’s Apple Store. The secret of its frenzied popularity is that it allows you to put your face in a scene from your favourite movie and be a character in, say, “Game of Thrones” or “Titanic.” However, the creators quickly ran into problems with the privacy policy.

Reface

The fastest way to feel like a celebrity is an analogue of Zao. This app can be downloaded for free for both Android and iOs.

Uploading a photo or taking selfies, with the help of a neural network, you can find yourself on the bow of the “Titanic”, walk like Michael Jackson or become a hero of an Indian action movie. The mask does not slip, there is no unpleasant “noise” on the face, and you look as natural as possible in your new role. But the app has too many ads – a 30-second reel after each mask.

By paying for the premium version, you’ll get rid of the ads and get a better image with faster video download speeds.

FaceSwapLite

The FaceSwapLite app is one of the free apps that can change your and your friend’s faces online. You can point your camera at two fronts, and the app will swap them. You can take a photo or record a funny video.

You can also put on pretty simple masks in the app and be Santa, a lion, or a Viking.

FaceSwapLite is a straightforward app with no gimmicks and a grey area regarding facial contours. Still, it’s not nasty fun for about ten minutes.