In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) image creation is within reach of ordinary people, the ability to detect fake images, especially deepfakes of people, is becoming increasingly important.
But what if you could tell just by looking into someone’s eyes?
this is, Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in HullThis suggests that analyzing the human eye could help spot AI-generated fakes, in the same way that astronomers study photos of galaxies.
At the heart of this piece by Adejumoke Owolabi, an MA student at the University of Hull, is the reflection in the human eye.
If the reflection matches, the image is likely to be of a real person, if not, it’s likely a deepfake.
A series of deepfake eyes showing inconsistent reflections in each eye.
Adejumoke Owolabi
“The eye reflections are consistent in the real person but are inaccurate (from a physics perspective) in the fake one,” said Kevin Pimblett, professor of astrophysics at the University of Hull and director of the Centre of Excellence in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling.
The researchers analyzed the light reflected by the human eye in real and AI-generated images, then quantified the reflections using techniques commonly used in astronomy to check for consistency between the reflections in each eye.
In fake images, the reflections in both eyes are often inconsistent, while in real images the reflections in both eyes are usually the same.
“To measure the shape of a galaxy we analyse whether it has a compact centre, whether it has symmetry and how smooth it is – we analyse the distribution of light,” Professor Pimblett said.
“We automatically detect the reflections and run their morphological characteristics through the CAS. [concentration, asymmetry, smoothness] We use the Gini coefficient to compare the similarity between the left and right eyeballs.
“Our findings suggest that there are some differences between the two types of deepfakes.”
A series of real eyes showing fairly consistent reflections in both eyes.
Adejumoke Owolabi
The Gini coefficient is typically used to measure how the light in an image of a galaxy is distributed across pixels, by ordering the pixels that make up the image of the galaxy in ascending order of flux, and comparing the result to what would be expected from a perfectly uniform flux distribution.
A Gini value of 0 is a galaxy whose light is evenly distributed across all pixels in the image, and a Gini value of 1 is a galaxy whose light is all concentrated in one pixel.
The team also tested the CAS parameter, a tool originally developed by astronomers to measure the distribution of light in galaxies to determine their morphology, but found it to be of no use in predicting false eyes.
“It’s important to note that this is not a silver bullet for detecting fake images,” Prof Pimblett added.
“There will be false positives and false negatives, and it won’t catch everything, but this method provides a basis, a plan of attack, in the arms race to detect deepfakes.”
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Kevin Pimblett
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Images and captions
Caption: In this image, the person on the left is real, the one on the right is generated by AI. Below the face are painted eyeballs. The reflection in the eyeballs matches in the real person, but is inaccurate (from a physical point of view) in the fake one.
Credit: Adejumoke Owolabi
Caption: A series of deepfake eyes showing inconsistent reflections in each eye.
Credit: Adejumoke Owolabi
Caption: A series of actual eyes showing fairly consistent reflections in both eyes.
Credit: Adejumoke Owolabi
Notes for editors
The NAM 2024 conference is primarily hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the University of Hull.
About the Royal Astronomical Society
Founded in 1820, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) encourages and promotes research in astronomy, solar system science, geophysics and closely related scientific disciplines.
The RAS organises scientific conferences, publishes an international research and review journal, recognises outstanding achievement through medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities, and represents British astronomy at home and abroad. Its 4,000-plus members (Fellows), a third of whom are based overseas, include scientific researchers from universities, observatories and research institutes, as well as historians of astronomy.
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About the Science and Technology Facilities Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council (Stephanie) is part of UK Research and Innovation, the UK body that works with universities, research organisations, business, charities and government to create the best environment for research and innovation to thrive.
STFC funds and supports research in particle physics, nuclear physics, astronomy, gravity research and astrophysics and space sciences. It also operates a network of five national laboratories, including Rutherford Appleton and Daresbury, and is a member of the international scientific and technological organisations CERN, FERMILAB and the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Studies (NCS). Europe Chilean telescope.
STFC’s Astronomy and Space Science Programme provides support to a wide range of facilities, research groups and individuals to investigate some of the top priority questions in astrophysics, cosmology and solar system science.
STFC’s astronomy and space science programmes are delivered through grants for research activities and through support of technical activities at STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s RAL Space. STFC also supports UK astronomy through the international European Southern Observatory and Square Kilometre Array organisations.
visit https://stfc.ukri.org/ For more information, follow STFC on Twitter: @STFC_Matters
About the E.A. Milne Centre at the University of Hull
The University of Hull’s EA Milne Centre for Astrophysics is home to experts studying the evolution of structure in the Universe, from stars to galaxies and clusters of galaxies, right through to the largest structures in the Universe.
The Center employs observational, theoretical and computational methods in collaboration with international partners. Graduate and undergraduate students work alongside staff to understand the wonders of the universe. The Center also aims to spread a passion for astronomy and astrophysics in the region and beyond through a series of outreach activities.
