McAfee recently announced its AI-powered Deepfake Audio Detection technology (known as Project Mockingbird) at the Consumer Electronics Show. This new and proprietary technology was developed to help defend consumers against the surging threat of cybercriminals utilizing fabricated and AI-generated audio to carry out scams that rob people of money and personal information, enable cyberbullying, and manipulate the public image of prominent figures.
Sophisticated and accessible Generative AI tools made it easier for cybercriminals to create highly convincing scams like using voice cloning to impersonate a distressed family member, asking for money. Others – often called “cheapfakes” – could involve manipulating authentic videos such as newscasts or celebrity interviews, by splicing in fake audio to change the words coming out of someone’s mouth; this makes it appear that a trusted or known figure has said something different than what was originally said.
In anticipating the ever-growing challenge consumers face in distinguishing real from digitally manipulated content, McAfee Labs (the threat intelligence arm at McAfee) has developed an industry-leading advanced AI model trained to detect AI-generated audio. And McAfee’s Project Mockingbird technology uses a combination of AI-powered contextual, behavioral, and categorical detection models to identify whether the audio in a video is likely AI-generated. With a 90% accuracy rate currently, McAfee can detect and protect against AI content that has been created for malicious “cheapfakes” or deepfakes, providing unmatched protection capabilities to consumers.
The first public demos of Project Mockingbird, McAfee’s Deepfake Audio Detection technology and it will be available onsite at the Consumer Electronics Show 2024. And the unveiling of this new AI technology is also further evidence of McAfee’s focus on developing a comprehensive portfolio of AI models that are cross-platform and serve multiple use cases to safeguard consumers’ digital lives.
Project Mockingbird – Why Mockingbird? Mockingbirds are a group of birds primarily known for mimicking or “mocking” the songs of other birds. Even though there’s no proven reason as to why Mockingbirds mock, one theory behind the behavior is that female birds may prefer males who sing more songs, so the males mock to trick them. Similarly, cybercriminals utilize Generative AI to “mock” or clone the voices of celebrities, influencers and even loved ones in order to defraud consumers.
KEY QUOTES:
“With McAfee’s latest AI detection capabilities, we will provide customers a tool that operates at more than 90% accuracy to help people understand their digital world and assess the likelihood of content being different than it seems. So, much like a weather forecast indicating a 70% chance of rain helps you plan your day, our technology equips you with insights to make educated decisions about whether content is what it appears to be.”
“The use cases for this AI detection technology are far-ranging and will prove invaluable to consumers amidst a rise in AI-generated scams and disinformation. With McAfee’s deepfake audio detection capabilities, we’ll be putting the power of knowing what is real or fake directly into the hands of consumers. We’ll help consumers avoid ‘cheapfake’ scams where a cloned celebrity is claiming a new limited-time giveaway, and also make sure consumers know instantaneously when watching a video about a presidential candidate, whether it’s real or AI-generated for malicious purposes. This takes protection in the age of AI to a whole new level. We aim to give users the clarity and confidence to navigate the nuances in our new AI-driven world, to protect their online privacy and identity, and well-being.”
— Steve Grobman, Chief Technology Officer, McAfee
