Deepfakes. A portmanteau of deep learning and fake, that started making their way into public consciousness in 2018. The rapidly evolving technology is now fully in the zeitgeist, impacting industries ranging from politics to commerce, and of course, social media. At the rate that they’re appearing, deep fakes might sound like an impossible problem to tackle. But it turns out that despite the lower barrier to entry, advancements in detection tools are keeping pace. In today’s video we’ll discuss the technology, policy, and economy behind deepfakes with someone who has been thinking about voice security long before it became popular: Vijay Balasubramaniyan, cofounder and CEO of Pindrop. Topics Covered: 00:00 - The Rise of Deepfakes 00:49 - The Evolution of Fake Media 02:23 - The Technology Behind Deepfakes 07:34 - AI and Deepfakes in Elections 09:50 - Statistics in Commerce and Banking Deepfakes 11:24 - Detection Challenges: Can We Spot a Deepfake? 13:09 - Watermarking and Cryptography 15:40 - The Economics of Deepfake Creation and Detection 19:15 - What Can Spam Teach Us About Deepfakes? 21:11 - What Are the Defenses? 24:30 - Policy, Platforms, and Accountability 28:54 - Preparing for a Deepfake-Proof Future Resources: Find Vijay on Twitter: https://x.com/vijay_voice Find Martin on Twitter: https://x.com/martin_casado Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.