McAfee’s AI deepfake detector will tell you if that video’s a fake

Software developers of all stripes are looking to take advantage of the new AI capabilities of the hardware NPUs found in Copilot+ PCs. McAfee thinks it has one: a deepfake detector.

The McAfee Deepfake Detector sounds like a potentially handy tool for fighting disinformation, if it works as advertised: It lurks in the background of your PC, quietly eyeing any video that you see. If it’s AI-generated, the McAfee service will issue an identifying warning.

It’s not part of McAfee’s generally-available antimalware solution, McAfee Total Protection — at least not yet. Instead, McAfee is making the app exclusively available to Lenovo customers who purchase select Lenovo PCs, beginning today. Those customers will receive a free trial of the tool, which will eventually cost them a single payment of $9.99 for the entire year if they choose to continue.

“At McAfee, we’re inspired by the transformative potential of AI and are committed to helping shape a future where AI is used for good,” said Roma Majumder, senior vice president of product at McAfee, in a statement. “Teaming up with Lenovo boosts our ability to deliver the most effective, automated, AI-powered deepfake detection, offering people a powerful digital guardian on their PCs. Together, we’re able to harness AI in new and revolutionary ways, empowering individuals with the most advanced deepfake detection so they can navigate the evolving online world safely and confidently.”

The detector tool actually doesn’t look at video, which is an interesting choice. Instead, it listens for the audio embedded in the video, and applies its AI powers to that. All of the detection runs locally on the NPU, which of course will require a Lenovo customer to own an NPU-equipped PC. McAfee said that its analysis is all processed locally, not in the cloud, and that the user’s audio is not recorded in any way. Audio detection can be flipped on and off, of course.

McAfee said that it also launching a new Smart AI Hub to help raise awareness of deepfakes. Users can help fight disinformation and train McAfee’s AI by uploading a URL hiding a deepfake.

We’re always on the lookout for the best AI tools for your PC, including AI art and LLMs, also referred to as AI chatbots. Will McAfee’s service prove to be useful? As selection season heats up, it’s hard to say no.