In 2025, 231 unique deepfakes were recorded in Russia

Modern deepfakes have reached such a level of realism that they will soon become indistinguishable from real content. Since the beginning of 2025, fully generated video fragments created using diffusion models have become more popular. Their distinctive feature is that neural networks do not even need a reference – an original video example, but only a text description of the request. Corporate and social risks from deepfakes in 2025 have become a permanent problem. Global financial losses amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the technological level of attacks is still ahead of the development of defenses.

The National Research Nuclear University MEPhI has developed an intelligent system that can determine whether a recording of a human voice is a deepfake. The product is called "Barn Owl" – after a nocturnal bird with particularly keen hearing. It is based on a neural network trained to distinguish deepfakes.

The emergence of this system is a logical and timely step in the fight against a new wave of digital threats, says independent expert in the field of artificial intelligence, PhD in economics Alexey Leron. According to the expert, the system will be actively used in areas where a high degree of protection against audio counterfeiting is required. For example, in the banking sector, where voice biometric systems are widely used to confirm identity. The system can also be used by law enforcement agencies when examining evidence, the media to verify the authenticity of audio materials, cybersecurity services of large corporations, as well as government agencies to process confidential requests from citizens. Potentially, the technology can be integrated into online conference platforms, instant messengers and voice assistants to block attempts at fraud or disinformation in real time.

"Technology does not stand still – it is a constant struggle between the "white wolf" and the "dark wolf". Deepfakes will become more and more believable, and security systems will become more and more sophisticated," said Alexander Khachiyan, founder of the IT integrator AWG and the flexible employment platform SkillStaff.