Deepfakes explode in Japan, tearing down language barrier

Scammers use generative AI to create natural-sounding imitations

20240828N AI for deepfake story REU

Generative AI has given scammers new tools to produce deepfakes. © Reuters

REI KOBAYASHI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- The use of deepfakes by fraudsters has surged in Japan, according to private-sector data, showing how the language barrier no longer provides a protection against global scammers.

The number of deepfake cases in Japan jumped 28-fold last year, according to a tally by Sumsub, a British provider of identity verification services. The rise was the fifth largest among 224 economies tracked.

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