Our Linkedin network sometimes contains AI-generated friends in addition to those we imagine

"If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."Season 5 Episode 22, 'The Opposite'

Stanford researchers discovered over 1,000 fake LinkedIn profiles using AI-generated faces after falling down a LinkedIn rabbit hole.

It was discovered by Renée DiResta and Josh Goldstein from the Stanford Internet Observatory after DiResta received a message from a profile reported to belong to "Keenan Ramsey".

At first glance, it seemed like a normal software sales pitch, but upon closer examination, Ramsey turned out to be a completely fictitious character.

While the picture appeared to be a standard corporate headshot, it also included multiple red flags that suggest it was an AI-generated face, similar to those generated by sites such as?This Person Does Not Exist.

DiResta was tipped off by Ramsey's eyes (the dead center of the photo), her earrings (she was only wearing one), and parts of her hair that were blurred.?

Accounts like Ramsey's are used by companies to pitch software to potential new customers, and whenever a target responds they're redirected to a real person.

With this technique, companies are able to greatly broaden their reach without having to hire new people

What's in an AI-generated profile?

The fake faces used by Ramsey and the countless army of bots like her are generated by general adversarial networks or GANs.

To get the best results, a GAN uses two bots: one that generates fake faces and another that detects them. If the detection bot cannot distinguish between a real and a fake face, then the image is passed along.?

There are some telltale signs that differentiate a GAN-generated face from a real one:?

• Backgrounds are often indistinct, blurry, or irregular?
• There is often an appearance of irregularity in clothing, such as inconsistent collars and imprecise lines
• Teeth can appear irregular or blend into lips
• Flyaways appear in excess hair, which can disappear and reappear, and longer hair can appear imprecise
• Reflections and lighting can be irregular
• Glitches in skin
• Missing or irregular accessories
• The person's eyes are perfectly centered in the image

Sometimes it's even fun to see the difference :

Beware:)