AI-generated images, video and audio clips that masquerade as real are easier to make than ever before, and they’re becoming more and more convincing. These “deepfakes” are duping people, especially on social media. Even digital forensics professionals have a hard time distinguishing what’s real from what’s not.
Case in point: Hany Farid. In June, the New York Times published a profile of the computer science professor declaring that “The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes.”
Special Presentation
Totally Unreal:
How Deepfakes Are Changing Everything with Hany Farid
Saturday, October 24, 1 p.m.
Vermont Tech Jam, Hula, Burlington
Farid recently left his teaching position at the University of California in Berkeley, bought a farm in Vermont and rejoined the faculty of Dartmouth College, where he taught from 1999 to 2019. Farid is also a cofounder of GetReal Security, where he’s the chief science officer. The firm specializes in authentication and verification of digital media.
One of the posts on the GetReal website warns recruiters to be wary of virtual interviews, because candidates can now conceal their identity. Called “Anatomy of an AI Imposter: Inside a Hiring Scam,” it details how a man interviewing for a remote-work job almost fooled an employer. The interviewer, who had a background in Asian languages, realized the supposedly Polish candidate had a Korean accent. When called out on it, the candidate quickly ended the call.
In fact, according to Farid, this is a common occurrence.
A few weeks ago he appeared in a 10-minute segment on “CBS News Sunday Morning” titled “Detecting Deepfakes, In a World Where Even Reality Is Suspect.” He discussed these hiring scams, in which American employers accidentally hire tech workers from North Korea. Farid told reporter Ted Koppel, “Just about every single Fortune 500 company has hired one or more of these, whether they know it or not.”
At Vermont Tech Jam, Farid will do a short presentation about the state of deepfakes and our ability to detect and combat them, followed by an interview with Seven Days staff writer Hannah Bassett. He’ll also take questions from the audience. Please join us for this unique opportunity.