--- title: "Facebook is Challenging Researchers to Build a Deepfakes Detector" description: "Facebook is teaming up with a consortium of researchers from Microsoft and a number of prominent research universities to build a deepfake detector." date: "2019-09-05" modified: "2019-09-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/facebook-detecting-deepfakes" categories: - "Future Society" --- # Facebook is Challenging Researchers to Build a Deepfakes Detector ![Facebook is teaming up with a consortium of researchers from Microsoft and a number of prominent research universities to build a deepfake detector.]() *\Image: Facebook\* ## Detecting Deepfakes Deepfakes are becoming so convincing that it's hard to tell them from real videos. And that could soon spell disaster, eroding trust in what we see online. That's why Facebook is teaming up with a consortium of researchers from Microsoft and several prominent research universities for a "Deepfake Detection Challenge." The idea is to build a data set, with the help of human user input, that'll help neural networks detect what is and isn't a deepfake. The end result, if all goes well, will be a system that can reliably fake videos online. ## Ten Mili Similar data sets already exist for object or speech recognition, but there isn't one specifically made for detecting deepfakes yet. The winning team will even get a prize — presumably a portion of the $10 million Facebook is investing in the challenge. ## Faster Progress Deepfakes "have significant implications for determining the legitimacy of information presented online," reads a [statement]() by Facebook. "Yet the industry doesn't have a great data set or benchmark for detecting them." To contribute to the challenge, Facebook has decided to commission paid actors to build a [realistic data set](). "This is a constantly evolving problem, much like spam or other adversarial challenges, and our hope is that by helping the industry and AI community come together we can make faster progress," reads the statement. **READ MORE:** [Facebook is making its own deepfakes and offering prizes for detecting them]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on deepfakes:** *[Watch a Deepfake That Casts Will Smith as Neo In “The Matrix"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()