Understanding Deepfakes and Their Impact: Insights from Gartner Report 2023

The rise of deepfake technology has ushered in a new era of both possibilities and challenges. As outlined in the latest Gartner Report of 2023, deepfakes have become increasingly convincing, owing to the accessibility of open-source AI and machine learning libraries. This technology enables even novices to create compelling deepfakes, thus raising concerns about its potential adverse effects on brands, reputations, and security.

Easy accessibility raises concerns The proliferation of open-source AI and ML libraries has made it easier than ever to craft realistic deepfakes. What was once a domain of experts has now become accessible to a broader audience. The Gartner Report highlights the emergence of tools that can create intricate videos, manipulate voice communications, and produce other forms of information that have the potential to harm a company's brand, tarnish the reputation of executives, and influence employees toward adversarial actions.



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Challenges

Challenges to recruitment and validation deepfake technology, encompassing both voice and video overlays, poses challenges in realms beyond reputation. The report draws attention to the implications of deepfakes in the realm of recruitment. Online interviews, a crucial part of modern recruitment, could become significantly challenging to validate due to the inherent difficulty of distinguishing genuine identities from their digitally manipulated counterparts. OpenAI tools like ChatGPT can already generate code that successfully passes technical interviews, adding a layer of complexity to candidate assessment.

Enterprises and the Deepfake Threat The report underscores the unpreparedness of many enterprises in the face of deepfake threats. The convergence of deepfakes, cyberactivism, fraudsters, and the consumerisation of AI-enabled fraud has intensified the challenges for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and security teams. The same technologies that were adopted to streamline processes during the era of digital transformation could now be the target of malicious activities. Organisations may need to reevaluate and redefine their cybersecurity strategies.



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Solutions

Digital Risk Protection Services (DRPS) as a Solution Digital Risk Protection Services (DRPS) are identified as a promising solution to address the deepfake menace. DRPS leverage deep machine learning, computer vision, and continuous reputation monitoring to track and remediate false information circulating on the internet. With the expansion of attack surfaces and channels for exploitation, DRPS can offer companies the necessary support in protecting external assets from potential threats.