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Generative artificial intelligence was behind more than a third of new biometric fraud cases in Africa last year, a report found, with a surge in deepfakes threatening the data of millions of consumers whose details are held on insecure systems.
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Deepfake videos used to impersonate people increased sevenfold in the second half of 2024, according to the Lagos-based digital identity verification startup Smile ID, which vets customer identities for hundreds of businesses on the continent, including Uber.
Smile ID found document forgery remains a sizable aspect of identity fraud, especially in East Africa. But generative AI has “radically” increased manipulation opportunities, posing fresh challenges for security and anti-money laundering enforcement, chief executive Mark Straub told Semafor.
Read on for the risks generative AI is posing to businesses on the continent. → |
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