{"id":142679,"date":"2023-12-20T12:29:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T12:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com"},"modified":"2023-12-20T13:48:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T13:48:00","slug":"deepfake-technology-strength-and-danger-for-organizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/deepfake-technology-strength-and-danger-for-organizations","title":{"rendered":"Why Deepfake Technology is Both a Strength and Danger for Organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deepfakes<\/span><\/a> \u2014 a type of synthetic media that uses artificial intelligence<\/a> and machine learning<\/a> to hatch hyper-realistic fabrications across videos, images, texts and audio forms \u2014 have never caught our attention as much as they’ve done in recent times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Probably because they lacked the level of ubiquity they command now, or we felt it was something confined to the social media playing ground, where we see users manipulate their faces and voices with all manner of filters and, therefore, care less about their implications beyond the realm of social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever the case is, the fact is that the advancements in AI<\/span>\u00a0have deepened the roots and accelerated the spread of deepfakes. With the global deepfake software <\/span>market size<\/span><\/a> valued at $72.41 million in 2023 and expected to hit $1.2 billion in 2032, there is every chance that the deepfake landscape will continue to grow in sophistication and use. And like every tech innovation, deepfakes will offer us a duality of use \u2014 the positive and dangerous sides.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dangerous Side of Deepfakes<\/span><\/h2>\n

A quick googling of ‘AI deepfake generator tools’ will leave your mouth agape and face wincing as to the ease at which an average person can access tools with which they can create hard-to-decern deepfakes within a few minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent <\/span>survey<\/span> shows that by 2024, about 95% of consumers in the U.S. will have fallen victim to a deepfake<\/a>. The U.S.National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, in a recent <\/span>report<\/span>, warned that there is a significant danger arising from the misuse of deepfake<\/a> (PDF), emphasizing that this can jeopardize an organization’s brand and can be used to mimic key figures such as leaders and financial officers for deceptive communications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to Techopedia on the dangers of deepfakes, Jigyasa Grover, senior data scientist at Faire, noted that deepfakes are now the leading propagator of misinformation on the internet. She cited instances of celebrity pornography, hoax calls, tweaked videos of political leaders to induce conflict and many more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bloomberg recently <\/span>cited<\/span> that some videos used to portray victims of the tragedy in various languages on the Hamas-Isreali war<\/a> are deepfakes, noting that TikTok is struggling to take them down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In its 2023 <\/span>Deepfake Threat Report<\/span><\/a>, KPMG shared an incident where a branch manager in Hong Kong was tricked into transferring $35 million of company money to scammers. The manager thought he was following his boss’s orders on the phone, but it turned out to be a scam. The scammers used AI to clone the supervisor’s voice, leading to significant financial loss for the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are other instances of deepfakes on the internet targeted at public figures, like the video that circulated on social media mid-last year deceptively showing Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, announcing a surrender.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Deepfake video footage of Mr. Zelensky – Credit BBC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the above scenarios sound like some apocalyptic cadence, all hope is not lost, as there are some positive sides to using deepfakes that organizations can leverage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deepfakes as a Strength for Organizations<\/span><\/h2>\n

Despite the evident dangers posed by deepfakes, some experts still believe that organizations can effectively harness the benefits while mitigating the associated risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using deepfake technologies opens up various possibilities, such as enhancing simulation-based training scenarios without involving real individuals and market content creation, claims Tim Green, Chief Operations Officer, GoTeamUp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Green explained:<\/span><\/p>\n

“This technology could enable us to create realistic scenarios without involving real individuals, enhancing the effectiveness of our training programs. However, it’s crucial to establish ethical guidelines to prevent misuse.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He further notes that organizations can take advantage of deepfakes to market content creation as it could provide more creative ways to engage with our audience. “But it’s essential to maintain transparency and inform customers when such technology is used to maintain trust and credibility,” he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

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