How many videos do you scroll through daily? Dozens? Hundreds?

Say, you’re scrolling TikTok when Elon Musk pops up, pitching a “life-changing crypto hack.” He sounds urgent, looks real, and even blinks like a human.

Well, that’s because the video was not Elon Musk – it was a deepfake.

Last year, scams like this drained $12 billion from unsuspecting victims.

In fact, deepfake fraud shot up 3000% since 2023.

And it gets crazier. Gartner says by 2026, 30% of companies won't trust biometric security anymore because of these AI fakes.

Your boss’s voice approving wire transfers. Your grandma begging for bail money. A politician declaring war they never fought.

Whether you're swiping through Instagram or verifying a client's ID, you need to know what's AI or not.

So, can you detect deepfake?

#1 - Start With Your Gut (& Your Eyes)

Think about it, you’ve seen hundreds of thousands of videos in your life. You instinctually know what’s real and what isn’t. 

Start with what’s right in front of your eyes and look for these telltale signs for detection of deepfake video manipulation:

Facial Features

If the face screams "uncanny valley", it likely is.

• Unnatural blinking: 

Humans blink 15–20 times per minute. Count blinks in a 30-second clip. Too few or robotic intervals? That's suspicious.

• Waxy skin & texture: 

Zoom into cheekbones or jawlines. Real skin has pores and subtle imperfections. Deepfake skin often looks unnaturally smooth or waxy.

• Mismatched pupils: 

Watch the eyes closely. Natural pupils react to light changes. In deepfakes, they might stay static or appear mismatched in size.

• Lip-sync fails: 

Mute the video and focus on mouth movements. Do they match natural speech patterns? Misaligned lip movements are a common deepfake giveaway.

• Teeth & Mouth: 

AI struggles with teeth. Look for blurry outlines, unnaturally perfect alignment, or teeth that don't change as the mouth moves.

Lighting & Shadow

Deepfakes can’t do physics. Use that if you’re wondering how to detect a deepfake video.

• Glowing faces: 

Check if the subject's face lighting matches the environment. An overly bright face in a dim setting is a red flag.

• Shadow alignment: 

Check nose/chin shadows. Do they align with the room’s light? Deepfakes often misplace shadows or skips them entirely.

• Background mismatch: 

Lighting on the face vs. surroundings (e.g., sunny face in a rainy backdrop).

Body & Context

AI can’t do complex shapes and figures (and time travel), yet.

• Stiff movements: 

Compare head turns or gestures to the person’s real videos. Jerky motions = AI struggling.

• Time warps: 

Verify if clothing, hairstyles, and surroundings match the alleged video date. A 2025 video of a leader wearing a 2020 campaign pin is suspect.

• Impossible timelines: 

Consider the context. Does the situation make sense given what you know about the person and current events? For example, Biden debating Trump… from a hospital bed? Time travel’s still sci-fi.

#2 - Look Out For Technical Red Flags

Audio-Video Mismatch

Hear a CEO’s voice sounding like a GPS giving stock tips? That’s your cue.

• Robotic voice tells: 

Metallic tones, unnatural pauses (like a glitchy audiobook), or echo-free audio are telltale signs. Real humans breathe, stumble, and sound alive.

• Background noise gaps: 

Authentic videos often have ambient sounds like wind, keyboard taps, distant sirens. Deepfakes, common in CEO frauds, have sterile silence, like they’re in a recording studio.

Digital Footprint

• Metadata red flags:

Use tools like ExifTool to check edit histories. It is ideal for verifying corporate leaks. A video claiming to be “live” but edited days later is suspect.

• Reverse image search: 

Upload video thumbnails to Google Images to find original/duplicate sources. If it matches older footage, it's likely recycled content with AI alterations.

• Social media vetting: 

Check account age, follower patterns, and post history of the source posting the video. Profiles spreading deepfakes often have erratic posting patterns or bot-like followers (e.g., @User_48X92 with 10K follows and zero posts). 

#3 - Use Liveness Checks (For High Stake Scenarios)

When deepfakes could bankrupt companies or sway elections, you need truth. Use liveness checks in these scenarios.

Active Challenges

• Finger wiggle test: 

Ask the subject to flash 3 → 2 → 5 fingers rapidly. AI hates tracking sudden sequence changes.

• Flash test: 

Hit them with a sudden light burst. Real pupils contract instantly; deepfakes lag by 0.3+ seconds (like a buffering Netflix stream).

Passive Biometrics

• Micro-movement maps: 

Certain tools track 0.1mm facial tremors such as nervous twitches or breath-induced jaw shifts. Deepfakes look… too still.

• Thermal imaging: 

Real faces emit heat (foreheads glow, noses stay cooler). Rent a FLIR camera for VIP verifications. Dead pixels in thermal scans is an instant AI tell.

#4 - Fight AI with AI Detection Tools

AI or Not can analyze videos for flaws even trained eyes miss.

How it works:

1. Real-Time Analysis: 

Upload a video. Algorithms scan pixels for AI-generation clues within seconds.

1. Model Fingerprinting: 

Identifies if tools like Stable Diffusion or Midjourney created the content. No more guessing games.

1. API Defense: 

Businesses integrate it directly into platforms to auto-flag deepfakes during uploads, whether a post on a social network or a bank performing a KYC check.

Why choose AI or Not?

• Multi-Format Coverage: 

Detects AI images, audio clones, and soon deepfake videos.

• Zero Data Storage: 

Your uploads vanish post-scan. No privacy risks.

• Enterprise-Grade Accuracy: 

Used by compliance teams to block fraud and protect brands.

TL;DR – Your Anti-Deepfake Cheat Sheet

Here’s a quick cheat sheet on how to spot a deepfake video in under 30 seconds:

The Future of Deepfake Realism: "Seeing is Believing" is Dead

However, the sophistication of deepfakes is rapidly advancing. At one point, most will bypass human detection without tools.

This probes the need for AI detection tools to prevent fraud and misinformation.

Explore what AI or Not can do for you!

FAQs

1. What is deepfake detection?

It is the process of using technology to identify AI-generated or manipulated videos. If you're wondering "how to detect deepfake" content, the process often involves analyzing visual and audio cues that are not naturally occurring.

2. What algorithm is used for the detection of deepfake video manipulation?

The detection of deepfake video manipulation frequently relies on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). These algorithms dissect video frames, scrutinizing inconsistencies in facial features, lighting, and textures. Some also employ frequency analysis to identify artificial patterns introduced during manipulation. 

3. What is the tool to detect deepfakes?

AI or Not is one of the best and most reliable tools for deepfake video detection. It uses AI to detect AI-generated videos and provides accurate results within seconds.

4. Why is deepfake video detection important?

Deepfake video detection is crucial because these manipulated videos can damage reputations, spread disinformation, and even cause financial harm. By understanding how to detect a deepfake video, you can help prevent the spread of misinformation and protect yourself from AI fraud.