What is Synthetic Media? AI-Generated Content Explained

As digital technology advances, businesses are facing an ever-evolving landscape of threats from synthetic media, including AI-generated voices and images that blur the line between real and fabricated. Understanding these threats is crucial to maintaining trust and digital media authenticity in a world where disinformation and digital manipulation are increasingly common.

Business identity compromise: a growing threat

In March 2021, the FBI warned that “Business Identity Compromise” would become an “evolution” in fraudulent and deceptive techniques using advanced tools to “develop synthetic corporate personas or to create a sophisticated emulation of an existing employee.” Unlike typical phishing schemes, these synthetic identities are almost indistinguishable from real individuals, making them particularly dangerous.

Most recently, WilmerHale’s Matt Ferraro  explained in Corporate Counsel how viral disinformation combined with synthetic media represents growing dangers for the business community. Ferraro highlighted that while identity theft has long been a challenge for companies, the ability to now create hyper-realistic synthetic media escalates this threat to a new level. Impersonations are becoming more convincing, sophisticated, and damaging, especially when coupled with viral disinformation campaigns that can easily spread across social media.

In one notable case, a European energy company lost over $200,000 when a synthetic voice generated using AI was used to impersonate the CEO and authorize a fraudulent transfer of funds. The synthetic voice technology was so accurate that even long-time employees did not detect the fraud until after the transaction was completed. This incident exemplifies how business identity compromise using synthetic media can disrupt financial stability, damage reputations, and expose organizations to regulatory scrutiny.

Truepic’s verified media solutions offer businesses a way to authenticate digital content at the point of capture, making it significantly harder for synthetic identities to bypass verification protocols. This capability not only provides peace of mind but also reinforces a company’s commitment to transparency and trust in every digital interaction.

How synthetic media is created

Synthetic media refers to any type of AI-generated content—be it visual, audio, or text—that is synthesized to replicate reality. Techniques include deep learning, generative adversarial networks (GANs), and natural language processing (NLP) models that can produce realistic voices and human-like visuals.

Synthetic vs. non-synthetic media: Understanding the differences

As the lines between synthetic and non-synthetic media blur, it’s increasingly important for businesses to understand the distinctions. Non-synthetic media refers to traditional forms of content that are captured and shared without any digital manipulation or alteration. In contrast, synthetic media involves the use of AI and machine learning to generate content that mimics or distorts reality.

Key differences:

Creation process

Non-Synthetic Media

• Photography
• Videography
• Audio recording

Uses real-world environments, people, and sounds. There is no AI-generated manipulation involved, making it easier to trace the origin and verify its authenticity.

Synthetic Media

• Complex algorithms
• Deep learning models
• Neural network

Uses GANs or NLP models. Synthetic media may never involve a real-world counterpart, making it inherently more challenging to verify.

‍Source authenticity

Non-Synthetic Media

Typically comes with metadata that includes information about the capture device, time, location, and camera settings. This metadata can be used to verify the content’s authenticity when combined with platforms like Truepic’s verified capture solutions.

Synthetic Media 

Lacks these natural indicators of authenticity. While it can be assigned fake metadata, verification tools like Truepic’s technology can detect anomalies that signal the presence of synthetic elements.

‍Use cases

Non-Synthetic Media

Used for journalism, legal documentation, business communications, and situations where absolute authenticity is critical. Businesses rely on non-synthetic media to build trust and maintain transparency with stakeholders.

Synthetic Media

Often used for marketing, entertainment, or creative purposes. It can also be misused in scenarios like disinformation campaigns, identity compromise, or deepfake technology, making its detection a priority for organizations.

Trust and risk levels

Non-Synthetic Media

Generally considered more trustworthy due to its real-world origins and traceable nature. When verified through platforms like Truepic, it becomes a valuable asset for building digital integrity.

Synthetic Media

Carries a higher risk of being deceptive or misleading, especially when used maliciously. Its creation without real-world grounding means that even small manipulations can have large-scale impacts on perception and trust.

By understanding these differences, businesses can implement strategies to ensure that the media they use or receive is both authentic and trustworthy. Tools like Truepic’s trusted media verification solutions can help distinguish between these two types, providing a reliable way to maintain integrity in digital interactions.

Examples of synthetic media in business

Real-world examples help illustrate how synthetic media is used—both for positive and negative purposes—across different industries. Here are a few scenarios that highlight its impact:

1. Deepfake Audio Impersonations: In 2019, a UK-based energy firm fell victim to a deepfake audio attack, where a synthetic voice mimicking the CEO instructed the company’s managing director to transfer €220,000 to a fraudulent supplier. The attacker used AI-generated audio to convincingly reproduce the CEO’s German accent and speech patterns, resulting in a successful scam.
2. AI-Generated Customer Service Agents: Some companies use synthetic media to create AI-powered customer service avatars that can handle basic inquiries and respond to customers in multiple languages. This reduces operational costs and enhances customer experience. However, it also opens up vulnerabilities if these avatars are compromised or manipulated by external actors.
3. Synthetic Media in Marketing Campaigns: Marketing firms have started using synthetic actors in digital campaigns to cut costs and create highly tailored messages for target audiences. While this approach offers efficiency, it raises ethical questions about transparency and consumer trust, especially if viewers are unaware that they are engaging with synthetic characters.
4. Misinformation through Fake Videos: In 2020, a deepfake video featuring a well-known politician went viral, spreading false information about a national policy. The video was later debunked, but not before it had been shared thousands of times, causing confusion and public outrage. This incident underscores the risks of synthetic media in shaping public perception and influencing real-world decisions.
   

Disinformation and deepfakes risk management

In his article, Ferraro stressed that our digital world is flooded with disinformation. Untruths and half-truths about everything from phantom voter fraud to lies about the coronavirus can be seen all across the web. This “information disorder” is not only affecting politics, it is a growing threat to businesses. Viral false information and believable synthetic media in the form of deepfakes are now being used to target the private sector. These new hazards require businesses to look for innovative ways in which to protect themselves. Legal responses and disinformation and deepfakes risk management (DDRM) are being used to combat the growing threat.

Protecting your business

According to Ferraro, in order to protect themselves, businesses should plan for disinformation and deepfakes like they plan for any crisis event.  Businesses should assign clear roles for synthetic media oversight, train employees on recognizing AI-generated threats, and implement monitoring systems to detect potential misuse or disinformation.

Truepic’s trusted content verification solutions can be integrated into existing security systems to enhance monitoring capabilities and ensure that all digital content—whether created internally or received externally—is authenticated and verified in real-time.

Conclusion: the future of Synthetic Media in business

The rise of synthetic media is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses. While the risks of business identity compromise, financial fraud, and brand sabotage are real, companies that proactively adopt new technologies and strategies to combat synthetic media can turn this emerging threat into a competitive advantage. By staying informed, investing in technology, and establishing clear protocols, businesses can protect themselves and their stakeholders from the potentially devastating impacts of synthetic media.

Truepic remains at the forefront of these efforts, helping organizations build a future where digital authenticity is guaranteed, and the integrity of media is preserved for all.