Big Tech vs. Deepfakes: Google’s New Detection Technology Set to Revolutionize YouTube

Google is developing technology to identify content created by generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as videos and music, and plans to integrate it into platforms like YouTube. There is growing interest within the industry in seeing if Big Tech can actively foster a responsible AI ecosystem and prevent or eliminate the harms caused by deepfakes.

On Sunday, Google announced it had developed new technology to identify synthesized songs. Users can automatically detect and manage AI-generated content miming their singing voices on YouTube. The platform is currently enhancing this technology in collaboration with various industry partners and plans to launch a pilot program early next year.

Google is developing new technology to enable creators, actors, musicians, athletes, and others to detect and manage AI-generated content featuring their faces on YouTube. This is expected to be a powerful tool for managing how AI-generated content is used on YouTube, alongside a recently announced update for reporting AI-generated content that infringes on portraits and voices.

A Google representative mentioned that as the generative AI landscape evolves, both Google and YouTube focus on advancing technology development and updating guidelines for responsible AI use. They plan to provide more details by the end of the year.

Recently, incidents involving content generated using deep fakes have surged. According to Law & Company, which operates the legal platform LawTalk, there has been a significant rise in searches for deep fake crimes on the platform. While searches in June and July were between 200 and 300, they surged to 3,556 in August—a 10.5-fold increase from the previous month.

Experts from academia and industry believe that big tech’s investment in technology development can help reduce the harms caused by deepfake creation and distribution. They also anticipate that enhancing self-regulation will lead to effective measures as technology continues to evolve beyond the reach of regulations. The self-regulatory efforts of companies are deemed crucial.

An industry insider suggested that preventing damages caused by technological advancements through legislation alone may be challenging and could inadvertently affect innocent companies. Instead, they emphasized the importance of users’ ethical consciousness, companies’ self-regulation, and government support to foster technological competitiveness.

Professor Lee Sung Yeop of Korea University highlighted that the advancement of deepfake detection technology by major tech companies, such as Google, demonstrates the potential for effective self-regulation. However, he noted that platforms like Telegram, which operate outside administrative control, present challenges in eliminating deepfakes. Consequently, he stressed the need for government and National Assembly efforts to encourage all platforms to adopt self-regulation measures.