{"id":141088,"date":"2024-07-22T16:52:40","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T21:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=141088"},"modified":"2024-07-22T16:52:42","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T21:52:42","slug":"researchers-study-how-deepfake-detection-tools-influence-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/researchers-study-how-deepfake-detection-tools-influence-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers Study How Deepfake Detection Tools Influence Journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Role-playing approach offers valuable insight to quell misinformation spread<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Marvis Herring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The scenario-based role playing inspired by the popular Dungeons & Dragons<\/strong> game has given University of Mississippi<\/strong> researchers a novel approach to study how journalists use artificial intelligence<\/strong> tools to verify audiovisual media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal is to help journalists identify deepfakes: manipulated video, audio or images that can make it appear that a person said or did something that they did not. As more deepfakes emerge, misrepresenting political leaders<\/a>, celebrities and even high school students, detecting them is becoming more crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One study<\/a> found a 303% increase in deepfakes detected in the U.S. between 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If journalists are sending out information that’s incorrect, they’re really amplifying misinformation or disinformation at a much larger scale,” said Andrea Hickerson<\/strong>, dean of the\u00a0School of Journalism and New Media<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and one of the lead researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hickerson worked with Saniat “John” Javid Sohrawardi<\/strong>, Matthew Wright<\/strong> and Y. Kelly Wu<\/strong>, of the Global Cybersecurity Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology<\/strong>, to complete the “Dungeons & Deepfakes” study.\u00a0The Association for Computing Machinery published the research as a part of the\u00a02024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Andrea Hickerson. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Saniat Javid Sohrawardi. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emerging deepfake detection software, designed to identify\u00a0synthetic media<\/strong><\/a>, sometimes produces inaccurate results, potentially leading journalists to inadvertently publish false information or dismiss valid media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers created breaking news scenarios where 24 U.S. journalists chose how to verify the authenticity of videos, and they had access to\u00a0DeFake<\/strong><\/a>, an exclusive deepfake detection tool created for journalists by the researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scenario-based role-play structure of this study revealed when journalists use the tool, how they use traditional verification methods and how the tool affects their decisions to publish or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalists rely on traditional verification methods, such as contacting established sources, first, and may use deepfake detection tools after running into barriers, including time limitations, according to the findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Contextual verification is still possible,” Sohrawardi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These tools are there to help speed up the process and help provide information, but even if these tools did not exist, contextually, it should be definitely possible to verify any piece of information; it will just take longer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study results indicated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n