AI Media Group launches Deepfake Africa Challenge

The AI Expo Africa has launched the Deepfake Africa Challenge, a competition to raise awareness about deepfake technology.

AI Media Group organised the challenge in partnership with competition platform Zindi and the Western Cape tourism, trade, and investment organisation Wesgro.

Deepfakes have become popular in recent years thanks to being able to accurately recreate a person’s likeness.

However, they have become a security concern and can be used to promote and distribute misinformation.

“The objective of the challenge is to create convincing deepfakes to highlight the power of this synthetic media, illustrating its creative potential for exploitation for both positive and negative outcomes and focusing debate about its ethical use or mis-use in an African context,” AI Media founder and CEO, Dr Nick Bradshaw said in a statement.

“This challenge is open to both creative and technical talent across Africa. We look forward to seeing the outcomes from the submission.”

The winning deepfakes will be showcased online at the AI Expo Africa 2021. The event takes place from 7 to 9 September.

The competition will also award prizes to the winning submissions.

First place will win a trip to the event. This includes return economy flights to and from Cape Town, a four-night hotel stay, and complimentary event tickets.

Second and third place winners will receive complimentary event tickets.

How to submit work for the Deepfake Africa Challenge

The Deepfake Africa Challenge is open to African citizens residing on the continent. It encourages filmmakers, researchers, developers, and content creatives to submit their work.

To enter the competition, creators must submit their work on the Deepfale Africa Challenge website.

Submissions can either be video or audio files and preferably be in MP3 and MP4 format. Each submission must be no longer than 90 seconds in length.

The competition recommends entrants provide a short explanation of their tools and process along with their submission to help the judges contextualise it.

The submissions portal closes on 30 July.

Representatives from Zindi, Wesgro, and the AI Media Group will make up the judging panel. The panel will judge submissions based on their artistic creativity, relevance, and level of innovation.

The competition will announce and notify its winners on 17 August.

Feature image: Unsplash/Amanda Dalbjörn

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