Voice deepfakes are getting easier to spot

New research has shown that voice deepfakes are becoming easier to spot as synthetic recreations of real voices, thanks to the anatomy of our vocal tracts. Researchers at the University of Florida have devised a method of simulating images of a human vocal tract's apparent movements (opens in new tab) while a voice clip - real or fake - is played back. Professor of Computer and Information Science and Engineering Patrick Traynor and PhD student Logan Blue wrote that they and their colleagues found that simulations prompted by voice deepfakes weren't constrained by "the same anatomical limitations humans have", with some vocal tract measurements having "the same relative diameter and consistency as a drinking straw". Though scientists are starting to spot voice deepfakes with simulation and anatomical comparison, the risk of an ordinary person being tricked by any deepfake - which could lead to identity theft - remains a problem. Ordinary people don't yet have access to these tools.