Is this video real? — Deepfakes
Stare at the screen all you like, you won't see it — follow where it came from.
1 · Think first
Honestly? You can't tell just by looking. The old trick of counting fingers barely works anymore.
So change where you look. Instead of picking apart what's on the screen, follow where it came from — is it where it should be, and did anyone else film it too?
The people making this stuff are starting to label it too. Europe has put rules into law for planting invisible marks and for saying when AI made something, and other countries are working on their own.
2 · Experiment · Pick one
Try it — Trust it or doubt it?
Six situations. Don't judge how well it's made — read the clues that come with it.
How polished it looks isn't a clue. Look at where it came from and what it wants you to do.
Figure
Clues that stopped working vs clues that work now
Use the tricks you learned a few years ago and you'll actually get fooled.
3 · Quiz
Quick check
Three questions. Pick an answer and it's marked right away, with the reason why.
Today in one line
Today in one line
Stare at the screen all you like, you won't see it —
follow where it came from.
Learn more
- Research that plants an invisible mark in AI-written text so it can be recognized later. — SynthID-Text, Nature (2024)
- The European Commission's guide to the EU AI Act, which labels AI-made content and makes deepfakes say what they are. — AI Act (European Commission)
- An open standard that attaches 'where and how this was made' to photos and videos. — C2PA Content Credentials specifications