Deepfake expert to present free talk at Buffalo Museum of Science

Editor's note: This event was postponed due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled to Dec. 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Siwei Lyu, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo, one of the world’s leading experts on deepfakes, will present a free demonstration on how to detect fraudulent videos on Nov. 19 at 12 p.m. in the auditorium of the Buffalo Museum of Science.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

What are the red flags in media imagery? What should we look for? How can we make an informed decision about authenticity?

Lyu, a co-director of the UB Center for Information Integrity (CII), will present on these and other topics to explore how and why deepfakes generate concern not only for newsmakers, but for everyone in a world where seeing is not always believing.

Joining him will be CII co-director David Castillo, professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, who will moderate the discussion. Also participating will be students from UB and Williamsville East High School that Lyu and partners are mentoring.

“Fake videos can be silly or serious and they raise interesting legal questions, especially as the technology to create them becomes less expensive and more accessible,” says Lyu, director of UB’s Media Forensic Laboratory. “Anyone, not just politicians and celebrities, can be a target of deepfakes.

“We’ll talk about what that means for you.”

Lyu has testified on the subject of deepfakes to lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and the New York State Senate; he has been featured in dozens of media outlets around the world, including CNN, BBC, The Washington Post, and Wired magazine.

When: 12 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Where: Buffalo Museum of Science Auditorium, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo.

Cost: Free.