1. Home
  2. News
  3. CAIS in the media
  4. Real or AI? So-Called Deepfakes for Disinformation as a Digital Weapon in Wars

ARD

Real or AI? So-Called Deepfakes for Disinformation as a Digital Weapon in Wars

Prof. Dr. Tim A. Majchrzak, Scientific Director at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), explains in the Tagesschau news program how deepfakes are being used specifically for manipulation in the Middle East conflict – and why the development of effective detection methods remains a major technological challenge.

21. June 2025

In the wake of the Middle East conflict, numerous pieces of disinformation are spreading online, including AI-generated images and videos. This content is being used specifically for manipulation, propaganda, or economic interests, highlighting the growing importance of artificial intelligence as a digital weapon in modern warfare.

In several editions of the Tagesschau news program, Prof. Tim A. Majchrzak, scientific director at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), assesses this development. He emphasizes the challenges involved in detecting AI-generated content. Individual identifying features are often not enough; instead, careful examination of content is necessary. He also describes a permanent arms race between the quality of AI-generated content and the available detection tools. The better the fakes become, the more sophisticated the detection tools must be, with detection capabilities usually lagging behind developments.

To the article