Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) launched new technologies to detect disinformation through deepfakes or synthetic media ahead of the November Elections. The tech company has unveiled a Video Authenticator tool, which will be used to analyze still photos and videos to generate a manipulation score.
The tool will be used to decipher facts from misinformation and fake news by photos, videos, and other media to detect a “confidence score or percentage score” which measures if the media has been manipulated.
A multi-dimensional approach needed to fight disinformation
In a blog post, Microsoft admitted that disinformation manifests in many forms, and there is no single technology that can solely be used to solve the problem. The company explains that due to advancements in the use of artificial intelligence, photos, videos, and other media can be manipulated in hard-to-detect ways.
Through AI, people can be made to say things they didn’t say, do things they didn’t do, and go places they didn’t go. The manipulations are able to beat conventional detection technologies.
“In the case of a video, it can provide this percentage in real-time on each frame as the video plays. It works by detecting the blending boundary of the deepfake and subtle fading or greyscale elements that might not be detectable by the human eye,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Microsoft working with other players to fight misinformation
Microsoft has announced that it is partnering with AI Foundation, a San Francisco-based dual commercial and nonprofit enterprise that offers online protection through the use of AI. Through the partnership, Microsoft’s Video Authenticator will leverage AI Foundation’s Reality Defender 2020 (RD2020) initiative to increase its use and adoption by organizations involved in the November Elections like political campaigns and news outlets.
The company has also partnered with other media industry players, including New York Times, CBC/Radio-Canada, and BBC, to test its authenticity technology and help develop it to standards that can encourage wide adoption. The program dubbed Project Origin will include social media companies and content publishers.
