An expert from the United Arab Emirates has recently developed an application that is capable of detecting any photo or video posted on social media as a deepfake. This application is intended to make it easier for people to detect whether a picture or video is a deepfake or not. Growing concerns over misinformation and online scams have increased demand for deepfake detection tools.
An Emirati cybersecurity researcher, Bashayer Al Salami, has developed an AI-powered platform that detects deepfakes in images, videos, and audio to curb the rapid spread of fabricated content across social media.
"As AI advanced, deepfakes emerged as one of the most serious digital challenges, making it possible to alter images, videos, and audio in ways the average viewer cannot easily detect," she said.
Bashayer Al Salami named the platform Deepy. After her master's research at Zayed University, she focused on modern digital threats and the ways AI-generated manipulation has begun to outpace what ordinary users can recognize on their own.
Deepy analyzes uploaded files and produces a credibility assessment, flagging the likelihood that AI manipulation has been used. "It relies on advanced AI algorithms to analyse images, videos, and audio clips, examining technical indicators within the digital file, such as pixel patterns, inconsistencies in lighting, and distortions in movement or sound," Al Salami explained.
Detection itself draws on a set of indicators that humans rarely notice on their own, including asymmetry in lip movement or facial expressions, inconsistencies in lighting and shadow patterns, and subtle distortions at the pixel or frame level. The system also reads digital fingerprints left behind by image and audio generation algorithms, with deep learning models trained on thousands of samples of authentic and fabricated content. It allows Deepy to flag manipulation at an early stage.
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As deepfake technology becomes easier to access, fake videos and images are spreading faster across social media and messaging platforms.
"The role of technology does not stop at detecting manipulation," the researcher said. "It extends to promoting digital awareness and building a more reliable and secure media environment in the digital age," she added.
The platform targets government bodies and security agencies, media organizations and journalists, and companies whose work depends on digital content verification. Deepy aims to provide rapid verification so journalists, official bodies, and ordinary users can examine material before passing it on.