A NEW generation of AI-designed deep fakes has raised the bar even higher when it comes to how difficult it is to spot manipulated images and video.
From a first-person perspective of running through a lush green rainforest to a bird’s-eye view of an abandoned city, AI startup Runway on Monday demonstrated how the latest wave of artificially generated video technology is reaching new heights.
“Introducing Gen-3 Alpha: Runway’s new core video generation model,” the company shared on social media platform X.
“Gen-3 Alpha can create highly detailed videos with complex scene changes, a wide range of cinematic choices and detailed art direction,” they said.
In one short and snappy clip, viewers can watch a close-up scene of a bald man’s face as he gets excited before getting a wig – and the quality is stunning.
“Prompt: A sad middle-aged bald man becomes as happy as a curly wig her and a pair of sunglasses suddenly falls on his head,” Runway wrote in a post alongside the video.
The details of the man’s facial expressions are incredibly nuanced, especially when viewed in slow motion.
The joy of the AI-generated character upon receiving the wig on his bare head seems very realistic and matches the silliness of the red color and curly texture of the wig.
The man’s clear and natural transition between emotions is a major improvement over previous AI video generation systems that were publicly available.
AI USERS IN AWE
AI enthusiasts agreed with Runway: the upgraded model is great in terms of capabilities.
“This is crazy. We’ll soon be able to download an app to make a movie about something we want,” wrote one user on Reddit (r/aivideo).
“Even if these are hand-picked, they already look better than Sora,” a second person said, referring to another AI video-generating model.
Some people said they were intimidated by the shocking realism of the videos.
“Oh god, this shouldn’t exist,” one user replied.
“We’re actually going to be able to see what magic would look like if it was real… Jeeze,” a second added.
Many people were particularly impressed by the clip of the man getting the wig.
“The bald guy in the wig conveyed three stages of emotion from one prompt: sad, surprised, happy,” one fan wrote.
“That’s the real game changer here.”
DEFENSE AGAINST THE DEEPFAKES
Here’s what Sean Keach, head of technology and science at The Sun and The US Sun, has to say…
The rise of deepfakes is one of the most worrying trends in online security.
Deepfake technology can create videos of you even from a single photo – so almost no one is safe.
But while it seems a bit hopeless, the rapid rise of deepfakes also has some advantages.
For starters, there is now much greater awareness about deepfakes.
So people will look for signs that a video may be faked.
Likewise, technology companies are investing time and money in software that can detect spoofed AI content.
This means social media can report false content to you more confidently and more often.
As the quality of deepfakes increases, you’ll likely have trouble spotting visual errors, especially in a few years.
So your best defense is your own common sense: pay close attention to everything you view online.
Ask if the video is something that it makes sense for someone to have recreated – and who benefits from seeing this clip?
If you hear something alarming, if someone says something that seems out of character, or if you are rushed into action, chances are you are watching a fraudulent clip.
NOT QUITE PERFECT
However, the Gen-3 Alpha is not without room for improvement.
Even the in-house developers only gave the man-in-wig clip a rating of 7/10 for fidelity and realism.
There are a few telltale signs that this could be a deep fake. Can you recognize them?
Viewers who pay close attention to the clip will notice that the light in the man’s mouth becomes unnaturally distorted near the end.
They may also notice that loose hairs appear to float around the man’s head after the wig falls.
Another sign that the video was AI-generated can be found on the man’s neck: a crease on the right side becomes strangely darker as it extends upwards.