75 Businesses will need to be on guard against cybercriminals using AI-based software to perpetrate scams Schick says: “When we consider the technological solutions, there are two ways to look at it: detection and provenance, or authentication. On the authentication side, some major technology giants are hoping to set industry standards to authenticate media from the point of capture. “On the detection side, while there are many efforts already under way, given the nature of the AI behind synthetic media, every time the detection capability gets better, so does the generation. We still don’t even know if AI will become so smart that it will be able to fool any detector.” While that question can’t be answered yet, Microsoft has been at the forefront of this fight. In 2020, it released a video authenticator tool to analyse whether a piece of content had been manipulated, as well as a Microsoft Azure built-in tool that enables content producers to add digital certificates to content, thus ensuring its authenticity. For businesses, this new threat poses a question around cybersecurity practices and approaches. Investing in detection software to scan video and audio communications will become absolutely paramount for businesses, especially enterprises in the financial, legal or public sectors. While detection and authentication technology might not be an option for everyone, something as simple as staff training and awareness could make a noticeable difference to protect businesses against such scams. “As our lives become increasingly video-led, we’re going to struggle to know what’s real,” says Schick. “The only way to prepare for this change is to understand the enormity of the paradigm shift that’s under way and raise awareness of the threat we’re facing.” One thing is certain – the future is synthetic, whether we’re ready for it or not. Watch all the Frontiers sessions at: www.gamma.co.uk/gx David Macfarlane is a managing director at Gamma “ The future is synthetic, whether we’re ready for it or not” DAVID MACFARLANE, GAMMA
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