When you hear the word “deepfake”, what do you think of? Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr as the new Marty and Doc in Back to the Future? Maybe Tom Cruise in a series of increasingly odd everyday situations? Or maybe you just vaguely remember hearing something recently about it from Warren Buffett?
Whatever your knowledge level, deepfakes are here and are changing the world as we know it. Unfortunately, we are now increasingly seeing them weaponized and used to target private individuals, employees, and organizations. Advances in real-time cloning of voice and video have led to a new breed of AI scam that is making it increasingly challenging to know if what people are seeing and hearing is real or not.
In fact, a recent international survey of nearly 25,000 people found 33% had already experienced deepfake attacks or scams for personal information and/or money.
And although the report found the general public seems to be adjusting to the threat, with 49% claiming they are questioning authenticity of the news and 60% the authenticity of online content more than before, the same cannot be said about business. Separate research shows only 30% of executives consider cybersecurity the most important priority in their organization – with deepfakes ranked the lowest of threats in terms of overall concern.
Combine this with the fact that there was a 223% increase in the purchase and selling of deepfake tools on the dark web between the first quarters of 2023 and 2024, and only a quarter of organizations have comprehensive strategies to ensure positive employee experiences and outcomes with generative AI, the question now becomes “What should businesses do?” The answer is that it is imperative for them to get educated about deepfake technology now.
In its simplest terms, this means major shifts in organizational mindsets regarding all things online. Success will come from a combination of enhanced cybersecurity policies, leadership alignment, and above all, thorough education and training for staff at both speed and scale.
This last part is vital as the pace of technological advancement around deepfakes, coupled with the more general dynamism of the IT landscape, means both employers and employees must adapt quickly to minimize disruption and maintain business continuity. In addition, upskilling at scale ensures organizations have the necessary internal infrastructure and talent to thrive in this new…
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