AI & Synthetic Media
GAN
Generative Adversarial Network — an AI architecture consisting of two neural networks that compete to generate realistic synthetic data.
What is a GAN?
A Generative Adversarial Network consists of two neural networks — a generator and a discriminator — that compete against each other. The generator creates synthetic data while the discriminator tries to distinguish real from fake.
GAN-Generated Images
Modern GANs like StyleGAN can generate photorealistic human faces that don't correspond to real people. These images often contain subtle artifacts detectable by forensic analysis.
Detection
GAN-generated images can be detected through frequency analysis, color inconsistencies, and characteristic artifacts in areas like teeth, ears, and backgrounds.
Related Terms
Deepfake
Synthetic media created using deep learning to replace a person's likeness in existing images or video.
Neural Network
A computing system inspired by biological neural networks that learns patterns from data.
Synthetic Media
Any media content — image, video, audio, or text — generated or manipulated by AI.