Seeing isn’t believing: CU Denver center masters the science of truth in audio/video

Summary: In this month’s CU on the Air, we talk with <a href="http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/CAM/Centers/ncmf/Pages/CatalinGrigoras.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Catalin Grigoras</a>, director, and Cole Whitecotton, IT professional, at the <a href="http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/CAM/Centers/ncmf/Pages/ncmf.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Center for Media Forensics</a> at CU Denver. The only one of its kind in the U.S., the center not only graduates the top media forensics specialists, it and its students assist law enforcement and government investigations, researches scientific methodology, conduct analysis of raw audio and video and, importantly, the digital manipulation of audio and video.<br> <br> * The topic of deepfakes is a hot in the media, but what is it?<br> * The previous generation of deepfakes – face-to-face – and vocal implications of manipulation.<br> * Implications of the inability to authenticate video and audio – a new, fake reality.<br> * Prominent examples of deepfakes – Nick Cage and Jordan Peele’s deepfake of Former President Barack Obama.<br> * The National Center for Media Forensics at CU Denver, how it came to be, how it has progressed and where it’s going.<br> * The center’s work with DARPA at the U.S. Department of Defense in creating deepfakes to find ways to recognize them.<br> * Media forensics and working with the Denver Police and other law enforcement to authenticate audio and video, including “I did it.”<br> * The center – completely unbiased is looking at the forensics and not any kind of outcome. It is completely neutral.<br> * Some high-profile cases the center has helped with – Malaysian flight shot down over the Ukraine, Texas chemical plant explosion, Iranian Missiles.<br> * Testifying in court – infrequently because the science speaks for itself.<br> * The difficulty of detecting some audio manipulation because singing, accents, etc. can mask an individual’s normal vocalizations.<br> * Who are the National Center for Media Forensics’ graduate students? Where do they end up in their careers?<br> * The rewards of solving forensic science.<br> * The self-evolution: Building of knowledge and generations of the science the past 20 years.<br> * What’s next? Smarter and smarter smartphones – we know what’s in the labs and what’s being worked on and the natural, albeit quiet, evolution.<br> * The introduction of deepfakes to the media and mainstream, the importance of being aware but not afraid. Don’t believe everything you see and hear.<br> * Fake news and the role of media forensics to inform the discussion.<br> <br> Resources:<br> <br> * <a href="http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/CAM/Centers/ncmf/Pages/ncmf.aspx" target="_blank">National Center for Media Forensics</a><br> * <a href="http://www.ucdenver.edu/pages/ucdwelcomepage.aspx" target="_blank">University of Colorado Denver</a><br> * <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/01/business/pentagons-race-against-deepfakes/" target="_blank">When seeing is no longer believing</a>, CNN, Jan. 28, 2019<br> * <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/4/17/17247334/ai-fake-news-video-barack-obama-jordan-peele-buzzfeed" target="_blank">Watch Jordan Peele use AI to make Barack Obama deliver a PSA about fake news</a>, Buzzfeed, April 17, 2018<br> * <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40551971/can-new-forensic-tech-win-war-on-ai-generated-fake-images" target="_blank">Can New Forensic Tech Win War On AI-Generated Fake Images?</a> Fast Company-Apr 4, 2018<br> * <a href="https://www.governmentciomedia.com/hot-clicks-pentagon-building-deepfakes-stop-them" target="_blank">Hot Clicks: Pentagon is Building Deepfakes to Stop Them</a>, GovernmentCIO Media, Jan 29, 2019<br> * <a href="https://www.westword.com/news/i-did-it-how-cu-denver-media-forensics-unmasked-a-murderer-and-more-8189886" target="_blank">“I Did It:” How CU ...</a>