Tech Desk 
Jul 19, 2024
Scams using some famous person’s voice to add legitimacy have been common for long, but AI has made it harder to distinguish.
AI voice cloning tools would surprise you as by using a few minutes of someone’s voice and could easily manipulate it into saying whatever you like by typing a few words of text.
Scammers these days have also started to create commercials on Facebook and other platforms that look as if a well-known expert is supporting that product.
Read more: Meta introduces 'Made with AI' tag for photos
How to spot a deep fake
Spotting a deep fake has become difficult as technology has improved, become accessible and cheaper. However, keeping the following tips in mind can help you spot deepfakes.
The sound quality
For any video that you’re doubtful of being a deep fake, check the sound quality first. Usually, a fake video will be slightly jumpy as many clips are joined together or would sound like it was recorded in a studio rather than a room.
Stilted vocals
Such videos that lack emotions or variations are likely to be AI-generated. They would look straight text-to-speech, even though the voice is pretty good and would sound like someone is reading a written script rather than speaking naturally.
However, professionals working in front of the camera would rarely sound like they are reading a script when speaking directly to the camera.
Lips movement
Lip-synching has improved a lot in recent years, however, some AI-generated tools make it difficult to distinguish between a real or fake video but sometimes the lip-sync looks quite over the top including extra head movements etc.
Low-quality graphics
If a professional or celebrity is endorsing a product it will be usually in a high-resolution video, linked to a verified account and a video layout that matches the platform.
Such as a YouTube video is in 16:9 while Instagram or TikTok Reels are in 9:16, while the scam videos often are in square format with low-quality clips used.
Discrepancies
Such videos are too good to be true. This includes people in footage promoting a specific product they previously criticised.
