Page 6 - Detecting deepfakes and generative AI: Report on standards for AI watermarking and multimedia authenticity workshop

Executive Summary

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized a workshop on "Detecting
deepfakes and generative AI: Standards for AI watermarking and multimedia authenticity" on
Friday 31 May 2024 during the AI for Good Global Summit. The workshop brought together
technology and media companies, artists, international organizations, standards bodies, and
academia, to discuss the security risks and challenges of deepfakes and generative artificial
intelligence (AI), technological innovations, and areas where standards are needed.

Experts predict that 90 per cent of online content will be generated by AI by 2025. How can
we identify whether content was human-generated, AI-generated, or some combination? The
problem of AI-generated media and deepfakes is not only technical but also ethical and social.
As AI becomes more capable of generating realistic and convincing media content, it becomes
harder for humans to discern what is real and what is either completely or partially synthetic.
This can erode our trust in the information we receive and the sources we rely on. It can also
undermine our sense of reality and identity.

Figure 1: Announcement of new standards collaboration on AI watermarking,
multimedia authenticity, and deepfake detection at the AI for Good Global Summit
2024

Some of the key takeaways of the workshop sessions are summarised below:

Challenges presented by generative AI and deepfakes

i) Deepfake and generative AI content is expanding rapidly, in terms of quantity, quality, and
the variety of impacts on individuals, organizations, and society at large.

iv