Microsoft launches software to detect deepfakes ahead of US election

San Francisco: Microsoft has unveiled software that can help spot “deepfake” photos or videos, adding to the list of programs designed to fight the hard-to-detect images ahead of the US presidential election.

The Video Authenticator software analyses an image or each frame of a video, looking for evidence of manipulation that could even be invisible to the naked eye.

Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips altered using artificial intelligence to appear authentic and are already targeted by initiatives on Facebook and Twitter.

“They could appear to make people say things they didn’t or to be places they weren’t,” said a company blog post on Tuesday.