The Current Status of Deepfakes
Ahnjili Zhuparris
Deepfakes, have rapidly evolved from niche internet curiosities to tools with profound implications across entertainment, journalism, security, and society. This talk explores the current state of deepfake technology, offering a balanced overview of its capabilities, limitations, and impact.
We will begin by demystifying how deepfakes are created, covering key techniques such as GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks), face-swapping algorithms, and voice cloning. Attendees will learn how accessible these tools have become, and what it means for both creators and the public.
The talk will then dive into real-world use cases, both positive and harmful, including synthetic media in film production, education, political misinformation, fraud, and satire. We'll discuss recent breakthroughs, the rise of "cheapfakes," and the increasing difficulty of detection.
Finally, we’ll address the broader ethical and regulatory landscape, including efforts from governments, platforms, and researchers to detect and label synthetic content. The talk will end with a Q&A and a brief demo showcasing current deepfake tools.
This session is ideal for anyone interested in AI, media, policy, or digital culture, and aims to provide both technical insight and societal context.
About Ahnjili Zhuparris
Ahnjili Zhuparris, PhD (NL, USA), is an AI engineer and AI artist, working between New York and the Netherlands. As an AI engineer, Ahnjili develops AI applications for the medical and cosmetic industry. Ahnjili’s artistic research and science communication efforts are dedicated to raising awareness about A.I. and algorithmic violence, which encompass the violence that may arise from or be justified by automated decision-making systems. Ahnjili’s artistic research and science communication efforts are dedicated to raising awareness about A.I. and algorithmic violence, which encompass the violence that may arise from or be justified by automated decision-making systems. She is a recipient of the Mozilla Creative Media Award. She is a recipient of the Mozilla Creative Media Award. Ahnjili’s work has garnered support from the Mozilla Foundation (US), IMPAKT (NL), Constant (BE), and has showcased her work at Ars Electronica (AU), Articulating Data (UK), and the CICA Museum (KR).
