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Can you tell what's real and what's AI? Question everything, 'deepfake' Commissioner warns

Can you tell which picture of Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend is real - and which is AI?

As part of new campaign Question EVERYTHING, Lisa has created her own deepfake video to highlight the dangers of AI-generated fraud.

In the video, ‘Lisa’ promotes a new financial scheme and asks for personal details including home addresses and online bank details.

The film then swiftly reveals the real Lisa - who explains that nothing in the video has been genuine.

The video was released to mark the launch of the Question EVERYTHING campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the emerging threat of AI-generated fraud and how easy it is for criminals to use the technology to create fake content to scam victims.

A new guide on how to spot a fraud has also been released. You can view the leaflet here.

▶️ Question EVERYTHING - Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey launches AI fraud campaign

Lisa said: “Artificial intelligence is becoming more sophisticated every day. While it can no doubt bring huge benefits to the way we work and live, it is also being exploited by criminals looking to target people for profit.

“I wanted to create the deepfake video to show how easy it is for fraudsters to convincingly impersonate somebody, particularly those in the public eye.  

“At this time of year with Black Friday sales and Christmas fast approaching, I am urging everyone who watches content online, scrolls through social media posts, or receives unexpected phone calls or unsolicited emails to pause and ‘Question EVERYTHING’ that they are watching, reading or hearing. 

“AI has made the scammers’ space into a fraudsters’ paradise.”