01In plain English
A deepfake is synthetic media that imitates a real person's face, voice or body so convincingly that it can pass for genuine. It can be a swapped face in a video, a cloned voice on a call, or a made-up photo. The technology itself is also used for harmless things such as film effects and dubbing.
02How it works
Making a deepfake starts with samples of the target: photos or video of a face, or minutes of recorded speech. An AI model studies those samples to learn how the person looks and sounds. For a face swap, a second model then maps that face onto another person's movements frame by frame. For a cloned voice, the model produces fresh speech in the target's tone from any text you give it. Another technique makes a completely fictional face or voice that matches no real person. Quality has risen so far that careful viewers can miss the signs, such as odd blinking, blurred edges or flat emotion. The same methods power legitimate uses, such as dubbing a film into another language or recreating a voice for someone who lost theirs.
03Why it matters when you are choosing
Deepfakes are used for fraud, impersonation and false news, so businesses need to be able to verify who they are really dealing with. For anyone buying video or voice tools, the question is what safeguards the vendor puts around misuse.
04What to check
Check whether the tool requires consent before cloning a face or voice, and whether it marks its output or has rules against impersonation. Ask how you can prove a clip came from you.
05Where you will meet it
06Common questions
How can I tell if a video is a deepfake?
Look for unnatural blinking, blurred edges around the face or hair, mismatched lighting and lip movements that drift from the audio. These signs are fading, so also check the source, look for the same clip from a trusted outlet and be wary of anything that asks you to act quickly.
Are deepfakes illegal?
It depends on how they are used and where. Using someone's likeness to commit fraud, defame them or create explicit content without consent is illegal in many places, and more rules keep appearing. Legitimate uses with consent, such as dubbing, are generally allowed. Ask a lawyer about your own use.
How can a business protect itself from deepfake fraud?
Verify unusual requests through a second channel, such as calling back on a known number. Set rules that big payments or password changes need a second approval, and train staff that a familiar face or voice on a call is no longer proof of identity.