How Deepfake Technology Actually Works

As coverage of deepfake technology becomes more prevalent, it's reasonable to wonder how these videos even work. Advancements in motion capturing and facial recognition over the past decade have been staggering – and terrifying. What used to be limited to only the most well-funded computer scientists and movie studios is now a tool in the hands of comedy outlets and state-run media. By definition, deepfakes are videos in which a person's face and/or voice are replaced with someone else's by an AI. The underlying technology and machine learning processes rose to popularity in the early '90s, evolving from a field of academic research.