Deepfakes, AI Influencers, and Why Verification Is Failing

How do we know what is real anymore?In this conversation with Professor Siwei Lyu of the University at Buffalo, one of the leading researchers in AI generated imagery and deepfake detection, we explore the unsettling world of synthetic images, cloned voices, fake influencers, and manipulated video. From AI girlfriends and scam artists to political propaganda and fake breaking news, we are entering a world where seeing is no longer believing.We talk about why “AI detectors” may be the wrong solution, why most people are already past the point of spotting fake images with the naked eye, and how verification itself is becoming unstable. If every image is already a processed representation of reality, what does authenticity even mean? We also discuss deepfake scams, revenge pornography, misinformation, metadata, provenance systems, and whether regulation can keep up with a technology that mutates faster than anyone can track.This is less about robot apocalypse fantasies and more about the quieter, more immediate danger, the erosion of trust, truth, and human connection. If AI is our generation’s splitting-the-atom moment, the real question is not whether the technology is good or bad, but whether society is prepared for what comes next.00:00 Intro01:43 The Real AI Threat Nobody Is Talking About03:38 Real or Fake? Entering the Deepfake Rabbit Hole06:01 AI Influencers, Fake Lives, and Digital Seduction08:09 Why AI Detection Is Failing10:47 Political Deepfakes and the IDF Hoodie Example12:04 Truth Is Slipping Away13:21 Testing AI Bias with Pro Palestine vs Pro Israel Images16:43 Why AGI Panic Distracts From the Real Problem17:00 Meet Siwei Lyu, Deepfake Forensics Expert18:21 How He Got Into AI Detection34:32 “Are You Real?” The Human Detection Problem44:22 Deepfakes as a Mutating Virus46:41 Can Machines Still Detect Synthetic Images?53:13 Authenticity vs Is It AI?59:00 Can Regulation Solve This?01:02:52 Voice Cloning, Scams, and Revenge Pornography01:07:17 How to Watermark Your Own Reality01:08:22 Politics, Propaganda, and the Collapse of Trust01:12:58 Can Society Adapt?01:15:08 Is This Worse Than Covid?01:18:05 Final Thoughts: Slow Down and BreatheBECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com