Science at Cal – Detecting Disinformation and Deep Fakes

We are awash in disinformation consisting of lies, conspiracies, and general nonsense, all with real-world implications ranging from human-rights violations to threats to our democracy and global public health. Adding to this disinformation landscape is a new form of manipulated media--so-called "deep fakes." Although varied in their form and creation, deep fakes refer to text, image, audio, or video that has been automatically created by a machine-learning system. Deep fakes add to a long line of techniques used to manipulate reality, but their introduction poses new risks. Now, more people have access to technology that would have historically been restricted to Hollywood, and they can put it to use for nefarious purposes. In this lecture, Dr. Hany Farid will discuss the online disinformation landscape and what interventions are available. He will also provide an overview of how deep fakes are created, how they are being used and misused, and if and how they can be distinguished from reality.