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Thales’s Friendly Hackers Unit Invents Metamodel to Detect AI-generated Deepfake Images

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Thales’s Friendly Hackers Unit Invents Metamodel to Detect AI-generated Deepfake Images
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Thales’s Friendly Hackers Unit Invents Metamodel to Detect AI-generated Deepfake Images

2024-11-20 16:00 Last Updated At:16:10

MEUDON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 20, 2024--

Artificial intelligence is the central theme of this year’s European Cyber Week from 19-21 November in Rennes, Brittany. In a challenge organised to coincide with the event by France's Defence Innovation Agency (AID), Thales teams have successfully developed a metamodel for detecting AI-generated images. As the use of AI technologies gains traction, and at a time when disinformation is becoming increasingly prevalent in the media and impacting every sector of the economy, the deepfake detection metamodel offers a way to combat image manipulation in a wide range of use cases, such as the fight against identity fraud.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241120808818/en/

AI-generated images are created using AI platforms such as Midjourney, Dall-E and Firefly. Some studies have predicted that within a few years the use of deepfakes for identity theft and fraud could cause huge financial losses. Gartner has estimated that around 20% of cyberattacks in 2023 likely included deepfake content as part of disinformation and manipulation campaigns. Their report 1 highlights the growing use of deepfakes in financial fraud and advanced phishing attacks.

Thales’s deepfake detection metamodel addresses the problem of identity fraud and morphing techniques,2 said Christophe Meyer, Senior Expert in AI and CTO of cortAIx, Thales’s AI accelerator. “ Aggregating multiple methods using neural networks, noise detection and spatial frequency analysis helps us better protect the growing number of solutions requiring biometric identity checks. This is a remarkable technological advance and a testament to the expertise of Thales’s AI researchers.

The Thales metamodel uses machine learning techniques, decision trees and evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of each model to analyse the authenticity of an image. It combines various models, including:

The Thales team behind the invention is part of cortAIx, the Group’s AI accelerator, which has over 600 AI researchers and engineers, 150 of whom are based at the Saclay research and technology cluster south of Paris and work on mission-critical systems. The Friendly Hackers team has developed a toolbox called BattleBox to help assess the robustness of AI-enabled systems against attacks designed to exploit the intrinsic vulnerabilities of different AI models (including Large Language Models), such as adversarial attacks and attempts to extract sensitive information. To counter these attacks, the team develops advanced countermeasures such as unlearning, federated learning, model watermarking and model hardening.

In 2023, Thales demonstrated its expertise during the CAID challenge (Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Defence) organised by the French defence procurement agency (DGA), which involved finding AI training data even after it had been deleted from the system to protect confidentiality.

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialising in three business domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space and Cybersecurity & Digital Identity.

The Group develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.

Thales invests close to €4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as IA, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2023, the Group generated sales of €18.4 billion.

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12023 Gartner Report on Emerging Cybersecurity Risks.

2Morphing involves gradually changing one face into another in successive stages by modifying visual features to create a realistic image combining elements of both faces. The final result looks like a mix of the two original appearances.

(c)Thales

(c)Thales

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dalton Knecht could only shrug when he buried his fourth consecutive 3-pointer and sent the Los Angeles Lakers ' entire arena into a frenzy.

That was a very specific shrug by the Lakers rookie, however — the one made famous by Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals after a legendary 3-point flurry.

“Rui (Hachimura) was talking to me about (how) I need to get a 3-point celebration,” Knecht said. “I didn't know what to do, so I just gave the shrug.”

A shrug is also the increasingly accurate response to the question many NBA fans are asking after Knecht's 37-point barrage Tuesday night: Just how did Knecht fall to the Lakers with the 17th pick in last summer's draft?

Knecht torched the Utah Jazz with nine 3-pointers in the Lakers' 124-118 victory, tying the single-game rookie record. He got on a major roll in the third quarter, hitting those four consecutive 3s before adding three free throws and another triple — and yet another 3 at the start of the fourth.

“I just got in a groove,” Knecht said. “My teammates found me, and they were looking for me every time. They made it easy for me. I just had to get open and get the shot up.”

Knecht scored 21 points in the third quarter, and he had 21 consecutive points for the Lakers spanning the third and fourth. Although he didn't score again, he had staked Los Angeles to a lead that proved insurmountable with the latest demonstration of his formidable shooting skill.

“He was phenomenal tonight,” Anthony Davis said. “When you're hot like that, he's special to watch. Anytime he's shooting the ball like that, it definitely gives us energy.”

Knecht moved into the Lakers' starting lineup four games ago, and he has been outstanding in his increased role. He is averaging 24.3 points per game while going an astonishing 21 for 31 on 3-pointers.

The Lakers have spent years trying to find a catch-and-shoot option to complement Davis and LeBron James. Although the sample size is still relatively small just 14 games into the season, Knecht appears to be exactly what the Lakers have been seeking on the perimeter.

“His shot-making gets us going,” coach JJ Redick said. “It’s a real weapon for our group. Beyond just the score, it’s a weapon that energizes us.”

And when Knecht gets into the type of rhythm he found against Utah, he thrills his teammates — and even inspires fond memories for his rookie coach, who was a bit of a sharpshooter himself during his 15-year NBA career.

“It's the flow state,” Redick said. "You're not thinking. You're just perfectly in balance with the curvature of the earth, and the earth spinning on its axis a thousand miles an hour. You've let go, and the ball just feels weightless. It feels like everything is going to go in."

Knecht appears to be a key rotation player already for the Lakers, who are off to an impressive 10-4 start to the season. Los Angeles has won six straight games, its longest winning streak in nearly four years.

Knecht is also causing plenty of second-guessing in the league's front offices for letting him slip to the Lakers at No. 17.

At the time, the reasoning was thought to be twofold: Knecht is already 23 years old after playing five seasons of college basketball, and he also wasn't considered much of a defender.

Those concerns feel increasingly foolish with each impressive game by the late-blooming wingman who spent two years in junior college and two more at Northern Colorado before transferring to Tennessee for a fifth collegiate season.

Knecht was an All-American for the Volunteers, winning SEC Player of the Year honors while averaging 21.7 points per game. He caught the basketball world's attention — even in the Lakers' locker room, where James and Davis watched his games and Austin Reaves became a text friend well before the Lakers drafted him.

“I did not think he was going to fall to us,” James said. “I thought it would be impossible. I have no idea how that happened, but I’m very grateful and very happy that he’s here. I knew exactly what we was getting when he fell to 17.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht, left, attempts to score against Utah Jazz guard Johnny Juzang during the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht, left, attempts to score against Utah Jazz guard Johnny Juzang during the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht dunks during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game agaianst the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht dunks during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game agaianst the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer during the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer during the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

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