Three signs you’re being tricked by AI images online as expert admits ‘any picture can be fake’ in stark warning
ARTIFICIAL intelligence can now produce strikingly realistic fake images – and it’s putting us all at risk of being fooled cybersecurity experts say.
Scammers can use fake images to trick you into handing over money or info.
For instance, a romance scammer could create catfish accounts using AI-generated imagery – and even convincing videos with fake voices.
And savvy trolls can use these “deepfake” videos or AI images to spread fake news.
The problem is that it’s now immensely difficult to detect whether a photo is AI-generated or not.
“Like chatbots, AI images are increasingly difficult to distinguish from human-created images,” said cybersecurity expert Paul Bischoff, speaking to The U.S. Sun.
“There might not be any indication that you’re looking at an AI-generated image.”
Bischoff, a consumer privacy advocate at Comparitech, added, “Instead, you must consider the source and whether you trust it.”
Many apps can generate highly realistic images in just a few seconds.
There are plenty of free apps that do this – and even more powerful premium versions.
That means even low-budget scammers can execute startlingly professional deepfake cons.
SAVE YOURSELF
Many images are now so lifelike that it’s effectively impossible to tell them apart from reality.
And this will only get worse over time, which means you can’t rely on trying to spot poorly rendered AI hands or eyes.
“This becomes increasingly difficult,” Dr. Martin J. Kraemer, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, told The U.S. Sun.
“At this point, I simply would not trust the picture anymore.
“It’s safe to assume that any picture can be a fake.”
If something doesn’t feel right, stop.
Dr. Martin J. Kraemer
But there are ways to give yourself a leg up in spotting fake images.
Kraemar said there are three clues that you look for to see if an AI deepfake is being used to trick you.
Tip #1: “If possible apply common sense. If the picture is used as a means to emotionally manipulate you, then you are most likely subject to a social engineering attack.”
Tip #2: “You might also be able to search for the picture on the internet, if it was previously indexed by Google. But be careful, attackers also manipulate Google search results.”
Tip #3: “If something doesn’t feel right, stop, verify the source, look for other information, and try to trace back the picture or any contextual information.”
Deepfakes – what are they, and how do they work?
Here's what you need to know...
- Deepfakes are phoney videos of people that look perfectly real
- They’re made using computers to generate convincing representations of events that never happened
- Often, this involves swapping the face of one person onto another, or making them say whatever you want
- The process begins by feeding an AI hundreds or even thousands of photos of the victim
- A machine learning algorithm swaps out certain parts frame-by-frame until it spits out a realistic, but fake, photo or video
- In one famous deepfake clip, comedian Jordan Peele created a realistic video of Barack Obama in which the former President called Donald Trump a “dipsh*t”
- In another, the face of Will Smith is pasted onto the character of Neo in the action flick The Matrix. Smith famously turned down the role to star in flop movie Wild Wild West, while the Matrix role went to Keanu Reeves