An Unique Interview with Mr. Ankush Tiwari, Founder and CEO of Pi-Labs, a Make in India deepfake detection engine
On this insightful interview, Mr. Ankush Tiwari, Founder and CEO of Pi-Labs, shares his imaginative and prescient behind India’s pioneering deepfake detection engine.
As a proud Make in India innovator, he discusses the challenges, breakthroughs, and future potential of harnessing AI to guard digital belief and fight misinformation globally.
What motivated you to begin pi-labs, and the way did the concept of specializing in cyberforensics and deepfake detection first take root?
Ankush Tiwari: I’ve been constructing within the cybersecurity house for a very long time, and my strategy has at all times been easy — determine the subsequent technological wave that’s poised to develop into exponential in each the enterprise and client worlds, and concentrate on constructing the defensive stack round it.
So, after we began brainstorming our subsequent large concept and noticed AI starting to make large waves, it was clear what we needed to do.
Bingo we determined to construct the safety layer for this new period, and that’s how our first product, Authentify, a deepfake detection device, was born.
What have been the earliest challenges you confronted in constructing belief for such a distinct segment however vital discipline like cyberforensics?
Ankush Tiwari: One of many largest challenges we confronted was the scarcity of GPUs and maintaining with how shortly generative AI was evolving. On prime of that, our prospects had extraordinarily strict acceptance standards, which meant we couldn’t afford to decelerate or compromise.
These hurdles pushed us to maintain innovating each step of the best way and that’s what helped us construct some of the highly effective and correct deepfake detection engines on this planet.
Are you able to clarify in easy phrases how pi-labs AI-powered options are making a distinction in cyberforensics?
Ankush Tiwari: We’ve filed 5 patents and printed a number of IEEE papers primarily based on our analysis — and that deep experience has helped us construct some of the explainable and trusted deepfake detection instruments on this planet.
However our work goes past simply recognizing manipulated content material. Our engine helps companies hint deepfakes and get nearer to the folks behind them, turning detection into actionable intelligence.
With this, we’re serving to legislation enforcement prepare for a brand new period of AI-driven crimes — the place deepfakes aren’t simply digital methods however highly effective instruments within the palms of criminals.
Deepfakes are one of many largest threats to digital belief as we speak. How does pi-labs resolution deal with this rising menace?
Ankush Tiwari: We now have developed and carried out a number of superior strategies to detect deepfakes with excessive precision.
Our engine is among the many most correct deepfake detection techniques on this planet, delivering minimal false positives whereas offering explainable AI by way of detailed forensic reviews. Past detection, it additionally guides customers on figuring out the malicious actors behind deepfake content material.
Our resolution gives versatile deployment choices, together with on-premise and cloud setups, whereas an API-based SDK permits seamless integration into any enterprise workflow. Moreover, we’ve constructed a cellular app that permits deepfake detection instantly on smartphones and tablets.
Right now, we’ve the biggest deployment of our know-how throughout a number of legislation enforcement companies, and we actively assist them with coaching packages to identify, analyze, and reply to deepfakes successfully.
We now have the biggest deployment of our resolution with a number of legislation enforcement companies. We now have been making ready our companies with varied coaching on easy methods to spot and analyse deepfakes.
Do you see deepfake detection as a device just for legislation enforcement, or is it equally vital for companies, media, and people?
Ankush Tiwari: Deepfakes have gotten a vital problem for enterprises, media, and people alike, threatening belief and id throughout the board.
Media organizations, specifically, should be capable of distinguish between actual and manipulated content material to forestall the unfold of misinformation.
Past media, on a regular basis processes like video interviews for recruitment, video KYC for financial institution onboarding, and video approvals are all below critical menace.
We’ve already seen vital frauds in these areas, prompting corporations like Google to mandate in-person interviews for hiring, a pattern we anticipate to develop. It’s clear that we should equip ourselves with the suitable instruments to forestall misuse and shield towards deepfake-enabled dangers.
With cybercrime on the rise, how do you see AI reshaping the way forward for digital safety and forensic practices?
Ankush Tiwari: Criminals are more and more leveraging AI to hold out subtle cybercrimes, and it’s important that we harness AI to forestall its malicious use. AI opens up new methods to analyze crimes and construct superior cyber forensic instruments, enabling sooner and extra correct outcomes.
As digital crime continues to rise, analyzing huge quantities of knowledge turns into vital. AI can play a pivotal function by appearing as a co-pilot for investigators, serving to them sift by way of knowledge effectively, whereas additionally enabling the creation of progressive defensive instruments to remain forward of rising threats.
Are you exploring collaborations with governments, media homes, or tech platforms for wider adoption of your options?
Ankush Tiwari: Sure we’re. We’re actively searching for collaborations with authorities our bodies to assist form rules and requirements for forensic reporting within the context of AI-driven deepfake fraud.
On the identical time, we’re partnering with enterprises that present id verification and background examine options, working collectively to forestall id fraud facilitated by deepfakes.
What insurance policies or frameworks do you imagine are important for regulating and stopping misuse of deepfake and forensic instruments?
Ankush Tiwari: There may be an pressing want to determine legal guidelines addressing deepfake-related crimes. One strategy may very well be to attract inspiration from copyright legal guidelines, treating every particular person’s face and voice as private mental property, in order that any misuse is recognised as a violation.
This might present an easy authorized framework to curb the felony use of deepfake applied sciences.
What classes out of your entrepreneurial journey would you share with different deeptech founders?
Ankush Tiwari: One of many largest classes I’ve discovered is that timing and focus are every thing. In deeptech, it’s tempting to chase each new concept or know-how pattern, however actual influence comes from figuring out a wave that’s simply starting and constructing an answer that addresses a vital, real-world downside, DO NOT INVENT A PROBLEM AND THEN SOLVE FOR IT.
One other key lesson is resilience within the face of technical and operational challenges. After we have been constructing our deepfake detection engine, we confronted GPU shortages, fast AI developments, and intensely stringent buyer expectations. These challenges pushed us to innovate constantly and lift the bar on high quality.
Lastly, I’ve discovered the worth of constructing robust collaborations—with authorities our bodies, enterprises, and analysis communities. Deeptech issues are advanced, and fixing them usually requires bringing collectively a number of stakeholders, information domains, and views.
Above all, my recommendation to fellow founders is to remain affected person, keep curious, and by no means compromise on constructing options that really make a distinction.
Mr. Tiwari’s journey with Pi-Labs displays India’s rising function in AI innovation. His deepfake detection engine not solely safeguards authenticity but additionally units world benchmarks in moral know-how.
By means of ardour and function, he evokes a future the place superior AI options uphold reality in an more and more advanced digital period.
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