Researchers detect deepfakes with the identical instruments they use to discover galaxies

It's a well-known saying that the eyes are the window to the soul. Now, researchers claim that using tools that study galaxies, they can also expose deepfakes – by looking at eyeballs.

According to research by Adejumoke Owolabi, a master’s student at the University of Hull in the UK, it is about how light is reflected in the eyes.

In collaboration with Kevin Pimbblet, astrophysics professor and director of the Center of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modeling, Owolabi compared real images with AI-generated deepfakes. To analyze the light reflections in the eyes of both groups, the team used two astronomical tools: the Gini index and the CAS system.

The Gini index measures the concentration of light in an image of a galaxy in pixels. Depending on whether the Gini value is 0 or 1, researchers can determine whether the structure of a galaxy is smooth or clustered – indicating the shape of elliptical or spiral galaxies, respectively.

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The CAS system also allows astronomers to measure the distribution of light in galaxies to determine their morphology.

The team used both tools to compare the left and right eyeballs in the real and deepfake images. While the CAS system was unsuccessful in detecting deepfakes, they found that the Gini index showed a significant difference.

If the light reflections from both eyes match, it is probably a real photo. If not, the results indicate a deepfake.

Real images showing consistent light reflections in both eyes. Image credit: Adejumoke Owolabi

“It is important to note that this is not a panacea for detecting fake images,” said Professor Pimbblet.

“There are false positives and false negatives; it won't detect everything. But this method gives us a foundation, a plan of attack, in the arms race to detect deepfakes.”

The rapid rise of deepfakes brings with it a number of serious risks, from fraud attempts to sexual harassment to political manipulation. In addition to efforts to combat such threats, astronomy also seems to offer a possible solution.