1,000-plus AI-generated LinkedIn faces uncovered
(2022/03/28)
- Reference: 1648490411
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/03/28/ai_fake_linkedin_faces/
- Source link:
Two Stanford researchers have fallen down a LinkedIn rabbit hole, finding over 1,000 fake profiles using AI-generated faces at the bottom.
Renée DiResta and Josh Goldstein from the Stanford Internet Observatory made the discovery after DiResta was messaged by a profile reported to belong to a "Keenan Ramsey". It looked like a normal software sales pitch at first glance, but upon further investigation, it became apparent that Ramsey was an entirely fictitious person.
While the picture appeared to be a standard corporate headshot, it also included multiple red flags that point to it being an AI-generated face like those generated by websites like [1]This Person Does Not Exist . DiResta was specifically tipped off by the alignment of Ramsey's eyes (the dead center of the photo), her earrings (she was only wearing one) and her hair, several bits of which blurred into the background.
[2]
This isn't the first time a ring of AI-faced bots have taken to social media. In 2021, [3]multiple accounts ostensibly belonging to Amazon warehouse employees were banned from Twitter, with many of their profile pictures appearing to come from the same type of AI as the latest LinkedIn ones. Amazon denied any link to, or responsibility for, the profiles and their tweets.
[4]
[5]
The Twitter incident is different and arguably worse: Instead of trying to make a sale in a less-than-forthright manner, Twitter bots from Amazon and other sources typically push misinformation and propaganda, both for corporations and governments.
[6]AI-created faces now look so real, humans can't spot the difference
[7]Prepare for weaponized AI that adapts in real-time to your defenses, says prof
[8]Alphabet launches new AI drug discovery startup, Isomorphic Labs, led by DeepMind CEO
[9]AI algorithms can help erase bright streaks of internet satellites – but they cannot save astronomy
"It's not a story of mis- or disinfomation, but rather the intersection of a fairly mundane business use case w/AI technology, and resulting questions of ethics & expectations. What are our assumptions when we encounter others on social networks? What actions cross the line to manipulation," DiRestra [10]said on Twitter.
NPR looked into DiRestra and Goldstein's claims and [11]found more than 70 businesses linked to the fake profiles. Several of the businesses said they had hired outside marketers, but expressed surprise when told about the fake LinkedIn profiles. The businesses also denied authorizing the campaigns.
Accounts like Ramsey's are used by companies to pitch software to potential new customers, and whenever a target responds they're redirected to a real person. With this technique, companies are able to greatly broaden their reach without having to hire new people, NPR said.
What's in an AI face?
The fake faces used by Ramsey and the countless army of bots like her are generated by general adversarial networks, or GANs. A GAN uses two bots, one to generate fake faces and another to detect them, to produce the best possible results: Only when the detection bot can't distinguish between a real and fake face is the image passed along.
It can be tricky to tell a GAN-generated face from a real one, but there are some [12]telltale signs :
Backgrounds are often indistinct, blurry, or irregular
Clothes often appear to be irregular, with collars being inconsistent, lines being imprecise and other similar artefacts
Teeth can appear irregular or blend into lips
Hair appears to have excess flyaways, which can vanish and reappear, while longer hair can look imprecise
Reflections and lighting can be irregular
Glitches in skin
Missing or irregular accessories
The person's eyes are perfectly centered in the image
A recent study found that the average person has [13]no better odds than chance at distinguishing a real face from an AI-generated one. Think you can do better? [14]Test yourself at [15]this site . ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://this-person-does-not-exist.com/en
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YkIwFmri6ZEeL45n7QintQAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/06/in_brief_ai/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YkIwFmri6ZEeL45n7QintQAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YkIwFmri6ZEeL45n7QintQAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/21/ai_created_faces_fool_humans/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/24/ai_cybersecurity_gtc/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/08/in_brief_ai/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/06/ai_algorithms_satellites/
[10] https://twitter.com/noUpside/status/1508258187371286531
[11] https://www.npr.org/2022/03/27/1088140809/fake-linkedin-profiles
[12] https://twitter.com/noUpside/status/1508258187371286531
[13] https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2120481119
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2019/02/25/ai_roundup/
[15] https://www.whichfaceisreal.com/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Renée DiResta and Josh Goldstein from the Stanford Internet Observatory made the discovery after DiResta was messaged by a profile reported to belong to a "Keenan Ramsey". It looked like a normal software sales pitch at first glance, but upon further investigation, it became apparent that Ramsey was an entirely fictitious person.
While the picture appeared to be a standard corporate headshot, it also included multiple red flags that point to it being an AI-generated face like those generated by websites like [1]This Person Does Not Exist . DiResta was specifically tipped off by the alignment of Ramsey's eyes (the dead center of the photo), her earrings (she was only wearing one) and her hair, several bits of which blurred into the background.
[2]
This isn't the first time a ring of AI-faced bots have taken to social media. In 2021, [3]multiple accounts ostensibly belonging to Amazon warehouse employees were banned from Twitter, with many of their profile pictures appearing to come from the same type of AI as the latest LinkedIn ones. Amazon denied any link to, or responsibility for, the profiles and their tweets.
[4]
[5]
The Twitter incident is different and arguably worse: Instead of trying to make a sale in a less-than-forthright manner, Twitter bots from Amazon and other sources typically push misinformation and propaganda, both for corporations and governments.
[6]AI-created faces now look so real, humans can't spot the difference
[7]Prepare for weaponized AI that adapts in real-time to your defenses, says prof
[8]Alphabet launches new AI drug discovery startup, Isomorphic Labs, led by DeepMind CEO
[9]AI algorithms can help erase bright streaks of internet satellites – but they cannot save astronomy
"It's not a story of mis- or disinfomation, but rather the intersection of a fairly mundane business use case w/AI technology, and resulting questions of ethics & expectations. What are our assumptions when we encounter others on social networks? What actions cross the line to manipulation," DiRestra [10]said on Twitter.
NPR looked into DiRestra and Goldstein's claims and [11]found more than 70 businesses linked to the fake profiles. Several of the businesses said they had hired outside marketers, but expressed surprise when told about the fake LinkedIn profiles. The businesses also denied authorizing the campaigns.
Accounts like Ramsey's are used by companies to pitch software to potential new customers, and whenever a target responds they're redirected to a real person. With this technique, companies are able to greatly broaden their reach without having to hire new people, NPR said.
What's in an AI face?
The fake faces used by Ramsey and the countless army of bots like her are generated by general adversarial networks, or GANs. A GAN uses two bots, one to generate fake faces and another to detect them, to produce the best possible results: Only when the detection bot can't distinguish between a real and fake face is the image passed along.
It can be tricky to tell a GAN-generated face from a real one, but there are some [12]telltale signs :
Backgrounds are often indistinct, blurry, or irregular
Clothes often appear to be irregular, with collars being inconsistent, lines being imprecise and other similar artefacts
Teeth can appear irregular or blend into lips
Hair appears to have excess flyaways, which can vanish and reappear, while longer hair can look imprecise
Reflections and lighting can be irregular
Glitches in skin
Missing or irregular accessories
The person's eyes are perfectly centered in the image
A recent study found that the average person has [13]no better odds than chance at distinguishing a real face from an AI-generated one. Think you can do better? [14]Test yourself at [15]this site . ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://this-person-does-not-exist.com/en
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YkIwFmri6ZEeL45n7QintQAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/06/in_brief_ai/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YkIwFmri6ZEeL45n7QintQAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YkIwFmri6ZEeL45n7QintQAAAI0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/21/ai_created_faces_fool_humans/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/24/ai_cybersecurity_gtc/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/08/in_brief_ai/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/06/ai_algorithms_satellites/
[10] https://twitter.com/noUpside/status/1508258187371286531
[11] https://www.npr.org/2022/03/27/1088140809/fake-linkedin-profiles
[12] https://twitter.com/noUpside/status/1508258187371286531
[13] https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2120481119
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2019/02/25/ai_roundup/
[15] https://www.whichfaceisreal.com/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Falmari
I only did 10 got them all right. But it is made easier because you are shown 2 images one is real one is generated choose the real one.
If I was shown each face on its own it would have been much more difficult to say real or generated.
missing accessories
Adrian 4
Isn't a single earring a specific fashion statement or style ?
Re: missing accessories
anothercynic
Generally on a woman, no. On men, non-binary or non-gender-conforming people, maybe.
Also....
spold
the fake ones came across as more intelligent.....
A recent study found that the average person has no better odds than chance at distinguishing a real face from an AI-generated one. Think you can do better? Test yourself at this site. ®
So am I weird in some way? I just tried 30 faces and was told every one was correct. I will admit that if I had to do each one in less than 5 secs it would be a different matter but quite a few were so poor that it took less than 3 secs. My worst case was about 8. I will also admit that 3 of them I trusted the naff background to reduce the time I took.