This extension promises to recognize audio deepfakes within seconds. — Photography Thomas Faull/Getty Images/AFP Relaxnews
A new extension for Google's Chrome web browser promises to detect audio deepfakes, which use someone's voice – usually that of a celebrity – to defraud or misinform users.
The American start-up Hiya, specializing in telephone security, is behind this Deepfake Voice Detector. This tool aims to make the detection of audio deepfakes accessible to all, whether on news sites, video platforms or social networks. According to Hiya, a single second of listening is enough for the tool to determine whether the voice you're hearing is authentic or, on the contrary, generated by artificial intelligence.
The tool analyzes voices in both audio and video streams, then assigns them an authenticity score to indicate whether they are more likely to be genuine or artificially generated copies. The extension, currently available only to Google Chrome users, is completely free of charge. But to start with, users will be entitled to just 20 credits per day, so as not to overload Hiya's servers.
The idea is to combat misinformation, especially in the run-up to the US presidential election, but also to protect users from misleading content and scams, which are becoming increasingly prevalent online. Indeed, Hiya recently commissioned a study, conducted by OnePoll among 2,000 US consumers, showing that between April and July 2024, one in four people said they had been exposed to an audio deepfake. By comparison, 13% of those surveyed said they had experienced a video deepfake.
In response to the surge of audio and video deepfakes online, the computer security software company McAfee recently announced the arrival of its first PC-based detection tool for internet users. – AFP Relaxnews
