Term explained
What is a deepfake?
A deepfake is a fake video, photo or audio clip made with AI that shows a real person saying or doing something they never said or did.
In plain English
A deepfake is media that has been made or altered with AI so that it looks or sounds like a real person. It might be a video of a politician giving a speech they never gave, a photo of a celebrity in a place they never visited, or a phone call in a family member’s voice. The name comes from “deep learning”, the type of AI used to make them, plus “fake”.
A few years ago this took skill and powerful computers. Today free apps can swap a face into a video or copy a voice from a short clip, so deepfakes have gone from a curiosity to an everyday risk.
Why it matters
Deepfakes are now a common tool for fraud. Scammers use them in fake video calls, fake celebrity adverts for investment schemes and fake “emergency” calls from relatives. They are also used to spread false news and to make abusive images of real people without their consent. As they get better, the old rule “seeing is believing” no longer holds.
An example
In 2024 an employee at the engineering firm Arup in Hong Kong joined a video call with what looked like the company’s finance chief and several colleagues. Every one of them was a deepfake. Following their instructions, the employee transferred about US$25 million to the scammers.
What to watch out for
Don’t rely on spotting glitches: good deepfakes no longer have obvious ones. Instead, be suspicious of the situation. Urgent requests for money, secrecy or a new way of paying are the warning signs. Hang up and call the person back on a number you already have, or ask a question only they would know. Our guide on how to spot AI fakes and scams has more checks.