On Friday, a Singaporean Research scientist Wang Weimin wins a $100 k prize in a challenge to develop the best artificial intelligence (AI) model for detecting Deepfakes or digitally altered video clips.
Deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to simulate the likeness and voice of another person by generating highly realistic images and audio. In addition to creating entertainment content and Internet memes, it has also been used to disseminate misinformation.
In a five-month challenge, Wang’s model was 98.53 per cent accurate and beat 469 other teams around the world. The model could differentiate genuine video clips from those manipulated faces, voices, or both.
During the Trusted Media Challenge organized by AI Singapore, a national AI Programme office under the National Research Foundation, Wang, a graduate of the National University of Singapore, received first place and a prize of $100,000.
Wang, who works for ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant that owns TikTok, was also offered a $300,000 grant to commercialize his invention. However, he refused and plans to incorporate his AI model into his company’s BytePlus platform and provide Deepfake detection as a service to its clients.
He said, “Good or bad, Deepfake is an emerging technology that you simply can’t ignore”.
