Dr Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti*
The rapid advancement of deepfake technologies in recent years has generated growing economic risks, ranging from the dissemination of false or misleading information to undermining the stability of countries and their economies, as well as damaging the reputations of companies and local and international financial institutions.
These technologies have also contributed to a rise in cyber fraud incidents, placing additional burdens on governments, businesses, and individuals to detect deepfakes and combat related crimes that threaten the financial services sector. With the diversification of deepfake methods, whether through manipulated video or audio content, or the distribution of fabricated media via email and other channels, AI-modified content has become a serious threat that requires decisive action and comprehensive public awareness of its multifaceted risks.
Amid the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence technologies, deepfakes have emerged as one of the most dangerous contemporary digital challenges, given their ability to produce highly realistic visual and audio content that is difficult to distinguish from authentic material. The primary danger lies in their transformation into effective tools for deception, manipulation, and the spread of false information. This reality necessitates treating deepfakes as a growing digital threat that requires a thorough understanding of their nature, clear awareness of their risks, and the development of well-defined mechanisms to limit their negative impact on societies.
The risks of deepfakes are particularly evident at the individual level, where manipulated images or voices can be used for defamation, blackmail, identity theft, or sophisticated fraud schemes that target victims both psychologically and financially. Individuals often lack the technical tools needed to detect such content, making them more vulnerable to deception and exploitation. The danger intensifies when these materials are widely circulated on social media platforms, where digital falsehoods can quickly evolve into widely accepted narratives that are difficult to correct, causing long-term personal and social harm.
At the institutional level, deepfakes pose a direct threat to financial and economic stability. They can be exploited to carry out financial fraud, such as impersonating the voices or images of senior executives to issue fake instructions for fund transfers or the disclosure of sensitive data. The spread of such content can also undermine trust in digital communications, increase verification and security costs and disrupt decision-making processes. In today’s fast-paced, highly digitalised business environment, these attacks can result in substantial financial losses, reputational damage, and disruptions to supply chains and production operations.
The impact of deepfakes extends to national economies, where they can be employed in coordinated disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilising societies, influencing public opinion, damaging the image of states and their institutions or manipulating markets and economic decisions. They also contribute to the spread of fake news and misleading information that erodes trust in media outlets and official institutions. As these technologies become more widespread, countries face a growing challenge in safeguarding information security, maintaining the credibility of public discourse and countering the use of artificial intelligence as a form of soft digital warfare.
Given these multi-level risks, there is an urgent need for a precise and comprehensive response strategy to enhance early detection capabilities for AI-manipulated and deepfake content. This requires combining public awareness with strong cybersecurity literacy, promoting it among citizens to improve their ability to recognise hidden threats, mitigate risks and promptly report suspicious content to the relevant authorities. It also necessitates strengthening national digital infrastructure and deploying advanced technical tools to identify and swiftly remove fake content, alongside reinforcing the role of institutions and companies in upgrading their cybersecurity measures and regularly implementing advanced safeguards to prevent vulnerabilities arising from deepfakes.
Ultimately, prevention and collective cooperation represent the cornerstone of reducing deepfake risks. This can be achieved by establishing clear regulatory frameworks, strengthening individual and collective ethical responsibility among technology developers and activating the role of digital platforms in monitoring and limiting the spread of fake content. The importance of immediately reporting suspicious material, refraining from resharing it and supporting awareness initiatives that enhance trust in the digital space cannot be overstated. Through coordinated efforts among individuals, institutions and governments, a safer digital environment can be built, one that is better equipped to confront the challenges of deepfakes in the age of artificial intelligence.
*The writer is the Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government