Deepfakes: how they work and how to check
Understand synthetic faces, voices and video, and learn verification habits that still work
A taste of a lesson
I saw a video of a politician saying something outrageous. How do I check if it's real?
Start with the source, not the pixels. Who posted it first, and is it a known outlet or a new account? Search for the quote plus the politician's name: if it were real and outrageous, reputable news would cover it. Take a screenshot of a key frame and run a reverse image search to find older or longer versions. Check if it is a real clip trimmed or miscaptioned, which is very common. Exercise: write down three things you would search for, in order.
Written by the teacher as an example. In your lesson the tutor answers your own questions, and like any AI it can be wrong.
What you will be able to do
- Explain how face swaps, voice clones and generated images and video are made
- Explain why visual glitch spotting is unreliable as a main defence
- Apply source tracing, reverse search and lateral reading to suspicious media
- Verify urgent voice or video requests through a separate trusted channel
- Know the general steps to take if someone is targeted by a deepfake
Lesson plan
- 1 How synthetic media is made Understand the main kinds of deepfakes in plain words. Start
- 2 Why spotting glitches is not enough Recognise the limits of visual cues and detection tools. Start
- 3 Tracing the source Use source and context checks that keep working as fakes improve. Start
- 4 Voice and video scams Protect yourself and your workplace from impersonation fraud. Start
- 5 When someone is targeted Know general steps if a deepfake targets you or someone you know. Start
Try asking
About this tutor
For everyday users, parents, educators and professionals who want to protect themselves from fake images, audio and video. You learn in plain words how face swapping, voice cloning and AI generated images and video are made, and why 'spot the glitch' advice is becoming unreliable as quality improves. Instead, you practise habits that last: checking the source, looking for the original, reverse image search, lateral reading, considering context and motive, and verifying unusual requests through another channel. You also learn about non consensual deepfakes and what to do if you or someone you know is targeted, in general terms.
Reviews
4.7
3 ratingsSample
- Mariam H.Sample
Handled the non consensual deepfake topic sensitively. I wanted more hands on reverse search practice.
- Grace O.Sample
Learning that glitch spotting is unreliable was important. The source tracing steps actually work, I debunked a viral clip in my family group chat.
- Wiktor Z.Sample
Our finance team took the payment verification advice seriously after this. Clear, practical, not scary.
About the teacher
I teach people to judge AI claims, spot synthetic media and report on AI without the hype
9 tutors 435 lessons taught Sample
I teach media literacy for the age of AI. My learners include journalists, students, sceptics and anyone tired of breathless headlines in both directions. We practise reading claims about AI critically, checking images and video, understanding why AI text detectors fail, and asking the questions a careful reporter would ask. My background is in newsroom fact checking and training reporters,...
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