Microsoft debuted a Video Authenticator tool that can analyze a still photo or video to determine the percentage of the chance that it is an AI-manipulated deepfake. For videos, Microsoft said the tool will work on a frame-by-frame basis in real time. The company’s tool is based on a FaceForensics++ public database and detects the “blending boundary” of the deepfake, with “subtle fading or grayscale elements” that may be indistinguishable by the human eye. It has been tested on the Deepfake Detection Challenge dataset. Continue reading Microsoft Develops Video Authenticator to Identify Deepfakes

San Francisco-based AI Foundation, founded in 2017 by Rob Meadows and Lars Buttler, just closed a series B round for $17 million together with Mousse Partners, You & Mr. Jones, Founders Fund, Alpha Edison and Stone. The foundation previously closed a series A funding of $10.5 million in September 2018. The AI Foundation is both a commercial artificial intelligence company and nonprofit enterprise with the mission of bringing “the power and protection of AI to everyone in the world so they can participate fully in the future.” Continue reading AI Foundation Plans to Scale Platform with Series B Funding

Movies and TV shows have combined real and CG images for decades, for the purpose of entertainment. But we’re seeing the rise of deepfakes, which mix fake and real elements in still images or videos with a malignant or harmful aim. Many Big Tech companies that have benefited from letting users post and share photos are now turning their attention to battling deepfakes. According to cybersecurity startup Deeptrace, the number of deepfakes online has nearly doubled to 14,678 from December 2018 to August 2019. Continue reading Big Tech, DARPA Ramp Up Deepfake Research, Detection