Definition
Artificially generated images, video, audio, or text that realistically impersonate real people or fabricate events that never occurred. 'Deepfake' originally referred to AI-swapped faces in video but now covers any convincingly fake AI-generated media, including voice clones and text written to mimic a specific person.
Why it matters
Synthetic media is being weaponised for fraud, non-consensual intimate imagery, and corporate disinformation. Regulators in multiple jurisdictions — the EU, Canada, the US — have now enacted or are enacting laws specifically requiring disclosure of synthetic content or banning certain AI-generated media outright.