Global push against deepfakes gains academic backing

Biometric Update reports that efforts to combat deepfakes are gaining momentum as universities, police, and private companies roll out new academic partnerships and funding initiatives.

Police Scotland has teamed up with Abertay University's cyberQuarter to launch a PhD scholarship aimed at training specialists to detect AI-generated media and bolster digital forensic capabilities. Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said the program will be supported by a new Cyber and Fraud Unit to address emerging online threats, while Abertay's Professor Lynne Coventry called the collaboration a major step in applying academic expertise to real policing challenges.

In Germany, identity verification firm Sumsub has partnered with Constructor University under its new AI Academic Program to fund research, scholarships, and open-source models targeting deepfake fraud. CTO Vyacheslav Zholudev and AI head Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin emphasized the need for academia-industry alliances as deepfake fraud surged 700 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, Princeton University awarded Prairie View A&Ms Yonghui Wang $125,000 to develop advanced detection algorithms.