The Rise of AI-Generated Deepfakes: Techniques, Challenges, Implications, and Countermeasures

This paper explores the rapid rise and evolving sophistication of AI-generated deepfakes, examining the technical underpinnings behind their creation, including autoencoders, GANs, and diffusion models. It investigates the vulnerabilities in existing image verification systems and the broader societal threats posed by synthetic media, from political misinformation to biometric fraud. The study further analyzes the psychological, legal, and ethical implications, including the spread of non-consensual explicit content and the erosion of trust in legitimate media. Finally, the paper proposes a multi-layered defense strategy encompassing technical detection methods, digital watermarking, blockchain-based authentication, regulatory policy, and public education to mitigate the risks and safeguard digital authenticity.