In a very short time, the technology that makes deepfakes possible has become exponentially better. This is making it more challenging to discern what is real and what is fake. Here are some of the best and scariest examples of AI-enabled deepfakes.

1. The Best (And Scariest)
Examples Of
AI-Enabled Deepfakes

2. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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There are positive uses for deepfake technology like making digital voices for people
who lost theirs or updating film footage instead of reshooting it if actors trip over their
lines. However, the potential for malicious use is of grave concern, especially as the
technology gets more refined. There has been tremendous progress in the quality of
deepfakes since only a few years ago when the first products of the technology
circulated. Since that time, many of the scariest examples of artificial intelligence (AI)-
enabled deepfakes have technology leaders, governments, and media talking about the
perils it could create for communities.
The Best (And Scariest) Examples Of
AI-Enabled Deepfakes

3. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The first exposure to deepfakes for most of the general public happened in 2017. This was
when an anonymous user of Redditor posted videos that showed celebrities such as Scarlett
Johansson in compromising sexual situations. But, it wasn't real-life footage—it was the
combination of the celebrity's face, and the body of a porn actor fused together using
deepfake technology to make it appear that something happened in real life even though it
was faked. Celebrities and public figures were originally the ones susceptible to the charade
since algorithms required ample video footage to be able to create a deepfake, and that was
available for celebrities and politicians.
When researchers at the University of Washington posted a deepfake of President Barack
Obama and then circulated it on the Internet, it was clear how such technology could be
abused. The researchers were able to make the video of President Obama say whatever they
wanted it to say. Imagine what could transpire if nefarious actors presented a deepfake of a
world leader as a real communication. It could be a threat to world security. With cries of
“fake news” commonplace, a deepfake could be created to support any agenda to fool others
into believing the deepfake is an authentic representation of what someone wants to
communicate.
Public Figures and Politicians

4. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Other high-profile examples of manipulated video include an altered video of House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, that was retweeted by President Trump as real, that made it look like she was
drunkenly stumbling over her words. In this case, the timing of the video was altered to create
the effect, but many believed it was a true depiction. Two British artists created a deepfake of
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talking to CBS News about the "truth of Facebook and who
really owns the future." This video was widely circulated on Instagram and ultimately went
viral.
Public Figures and Politicians

5. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Deepfake technology is improving faster than many believed it would. In fact, researchers
have created a new software tool that allows users to edit the transcript of a video to alter the
words—add, change, or delete—coming out of someone's mouth. This technology isn't
available to consumers—yet—but examples of what has been done illustrate the ease with
which the tool can be used to alter videos.
Deep Video Portraits, a system developed at Stanford University, can manipulate not only
facial expressions such as can be seen in the President Obama deepfake, but also myriad
movements including full 3D head positions, eye gaze and blinking, and head rotation by
using generative neural networks. Even though these videos aren’t perfect, they are incredibly
photorealistic. This could be super beneficial for audio dubbing a film into another language
and, as the researchers realise, could be abused as well.
Deepfake Technology Is Rapidly Improving

6. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Samsung’s AI lab made Mona Lisa smile and created a “living portrait" of Salvador Dali,
Marilyn Monroe, and others using machine learning to create realistic videos from a single
image. The system only requires a few photographs of real faces to create the living portrait
which could be cause for concern for "ordinary people" who thought that they might be
immune to deepfakes because there isn’t enough video footage of them to train the
algorithms. Samsung’s AI shows that it can make realistic videos with more general video
footage of a wide range of people rather than only use video specific to the “star” of the
deepfake.
There are even more disturbing capabilities out there. A programmer launched a free, easy-
to-use app called DeepNude that would take an image of a fully clothed woman and remove
her clothes to create nonconsensual porn. Just days after the app’s release, the anonymous
programmer shut it down. It’s hard to imagine anything but misuse for this app.
So, now that we know it's out there and getting even more realistic and easy to use, what do
we need to do to protect ourselves and others from misuse? That's a huge question with no
easy answers.
Deepfake Technology Is Rapidly Improving

7. © 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Should social media companies be forced to remove videos that are deepfakes from their
networks? Does it matter what the intent of the video is? Is there any way to separate
entertainment from maliciousness?
Some researchers suggest that it’s better for ethical developers to continue to push the
envelope when it comes to this technology so they can warn what’s possible to encourage
more critical analysis of video content. Others argue that this work just makes it easier for
unethical people to extrapolate the learnings for their own misuse.
Also, AI might be behind deepfakes, but it can also be very instrumental in helping humans
detect a deepfake. For example, software company Adobe has developed an AI-enabled tool
that can now spot deepfakes of images.
However, we can't merely rely on software to do the job for us. As deepfake technology is
here and getting better every day, it would be prudent for us all to remember to critically
assess the authenticity of videos we consume to understand their real intent. This means not
just relying on the quality of the video as an indicator of authenticity but also assessing the
social context in which it was discovered—who shared it (people and institutions) and what
they said about it.
Deepfake Technology Is Rapidly Improving

8. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2019 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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