Deepfake
Definition
A fake image, video, or audio clip made by AI to convincingly show a real person saying or doing something they never did. The technology has improved fast, and the best examples are hard to spot. Not all of it is malicious. Some is used for film and satire. But the same tools can be used to deceive, and that's the part worth paying attention to.
Why It Matters
Seeing is no longer quite believing. Knowing deepfakes exist, and that they keep getting better, is basic self-defence for anyone who reads the news or answers the phone.
What does that look like in practice?
A video clip shows a politician saying something they never said, made convincing by AI. That's a deepfake.
What people actually mean when they say this
When someone says 'that might be a deepfake,' they mean the image, video, or voice could be AI-made rather than real, however convincing it looks.
Last reviewed: June 2026
Related reading
From the Unspun Blog
- Google now lets you hide its visible AI watermark. The invisible mark staysGoogle now lets Gemini users hide the visible AI watermark. SynthID and Content Credentials remain, so a clean image is not proof a person made it.
- Google Will Now Label Some Ads as "Made With AI." What That Label Actually Means.Google's started labelling ads that were made with AI — which is handy, but only some are checked automatically.
- Meta's New Image Tool Can Use Your Public Instagram Photos. Here's How to Turn That Off.Meta brought out an AI image tool that can use photos from public Instagram accounts without telling you — but you can switch it off in your settings in about thirty seconds
In the AI Lineup
- MidjourneyThe image generator known for sheer beauty. If you want pictures that look like art, this is the one people reach for.
- ChatGPT ImagesOpenAI's image generator and editor built directly into ChatGPT. Describe a picture or upload one to change it in plain language.
- Stable DiffusionA downloadable image-model family that can run on your own machine, with free community licensing for most individuals and small organizations.
- Adobe FireflyAdobe's image and video generator, built to be commercially safe. Made for people who need to use the results in real work.
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