X now permits AI-generated adult content

Social media network X has updated its rules to formally permit users to share consensually-produced AI-generated NSFW content, provided it is clearly labelled. This change aligns with previous experiments under Elon Musk's leadership, which involved hosting adult content within specific communities.

"We believe that users should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed. Sexual expression,...

3 June 2024 | Applications

Microsoft: China plans to disrupt elections with AI-generated disinformation

Beijing is expected to ramp up sophisticated AI-generated disinformation campaigns to influence several high-profile elections in 2024, according to Microsoft's threat intelligence team.

Microsoft warned that state-backed Chinese cyber groups – with assistance from North Korean actors – "are likely to target" the presidential and legislative elections in countries such as the US, South Korea, and India this year. Their primary tactic is projected to be the creation and...

5 April 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

How to safeguard your business from AI-generated deepfakes 

Recently, cybercriminals used ‘deepfake’ videos of the executives of a multinational company to convince the company’s Hong Kong-based employees to wire out US $25.6 million. Based on a video conference call featuring multiple deepfakes, the employees believed that their UK-based chief financial officer had requested that the funds be transferred. Police have reportedly arrested six people in connection with the scam. This use of AI technology is dangerous and manipulative. Without...

3 April 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

UK Home Secretary sounds alarm over deepfakes ahead of elections

Criminals and hostile state actors could hijack Britain's democratic process by deploying AI-generated "deepfakes" to mislead voters, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly cautioned in remarks ahead of meetings with major tech companies. 

Speaking to The Times, Cleverly emphasised the rapid advancement of AI technology and its potential to undermine elections not just in the UK but globally. He warned that malign actors working on behalf of nations like Russia and Iran could generate...

26 February 2024 | Applications

McAfee unveils AI-powered deepfake audio detection

McAfee has revealed a pioneering AI-powered deepfake audio detection technology, Project Mockingbird, during CES 2024. This proprietary technology aims to defend consumers against the rising menace of cybercriminals employing fabricated, AI-generated audio for scams, cyberbullying, and manipulation of public figures' images.

Generative AI tools have enabled cybercriminals to craft convincing scams, including voice cloning to impersonate family members seeking money or manipulating...

8 January 2024 | Applications

China’s deepfake laws come into effect today

China will begin enforcing its strict new rules around the creation of deepfakes from today.

Deepfakes are increasingly being used for manipulation and humiliation. We’ve seen deepfakes of figures like disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to commit fraud, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to spread disinformation, and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to make her appear drunk.

Last month, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced rules to clampdown on...

10 January 2023 | Applications

Google no longer accepts deepfake projects on Colab

Google has added “creating deepfakes” to its list of projects that are banned from its Colab service.

Colab is a product from Google Research that enables AI researchers, data scientists, or students to write and execute Python in their browsers.

With little fanfare, Google added deepfakes to its list of banned projects.

Deepfakes use generative neural network architectures – such as autoencoders or generative adversarial networks (GANs) – to manipulate...

31 May 2022 | Deep & Reinforcement Learning

Kendrick Lamar uses deepfakes in latest music video

American rapper Kendrick Lamar has made use of deepfakes for his latest music video.

Deepfakes use generative neural network architectures –  such as autoencoders or generative adversarial networks (GANs) – to manipulate or generate visual and audio content.

Lamar is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. However, he’s regularly proved his creative mind isn’t limited to his rapping talent.

For his track ‘The Heart Part 5’,...

9 May 2022 | Deep & Reinforcement Learning

Deepfakes are being used to push anti-Ukraine disinformation

Influence operations with ties to Russia and Belarus have been found using deepfakes to push anti-Ukraine disinformation.

Last week, AI News reported on the release of a study that found humans can generally no longer distinguish between real and AI-generated “deepfake” faces.

As humans, we’re somewhat trained to believe what we see with our eyes. Many believed that it was only a matter of time before Russia took advantage of deepfakes and our human psychology to...

1 March 2022 | Deep & Reinforcement Learning

Humans struggle to distinguish between real and AI-generated faces

According to a new paper, AI-generated faces have become so advanced that humans now cannot distinguish between real and fake more often than not.

“Our evaluation of the photorealism of AI-synthesized faces indicates that synthesis engines have passed through the uncanny valley and are capable of creating faces that are indistinguishable—and more trustworthy—than real faces,” the researchers explained.

The researchers – Sophie J. Nightingale, Department of...

21 February 2022 | Deep & Reinforcement Learning