How the Use of AI and Deepfakes Plays a Role in the Search for Nancy Guthrie
The search for Nancy Guthrie continues after she disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, two weekends ago, as impostor kidnappers have swarmed.
Law enforcement officials said they have received several ransom notes from people claiming to have the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, Annie and Camron, have shared videos on social media asking for Nancy Guthrie, 84, to be returned home and have requested proof of life before any ransom is paid.
“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah Guthrie said in one video, asking for proof that her mother was still alive.
According to law enforcement, the growing use of artificial intelligence has made it more difficult to determine what is real and what is not, complicating the search for Nancy Guthrie.
AI Can Make Up Almost Anything
Before artificial intelligence became common, proof of life could be confirmed by a hostage holding a newspaper from the day or speaking on the phone, said Joseph Lestrange, who worked in law enforcement for 32 years and now trains agencies to identify artificially generated content.
Today, a language learning model can be used to mimic a person’s voice or likeness in photos, videos and audio, commonly known as deepfakes. These models can also create fake documents, including passports, Lestrange said.
“You give it the right prompts, it can pretty much make up just about anything,” he said.
At federal agencies, digital evidence is sent to digital forensics labs, where examiners analyze location data or pixels to judge authenticity. Lestrange said the tools are very effective, but reaching conclusions takes time.
“Time is usually of the essence in these kidnapping cases, especially in the current case we’re talking about, where the poor woman has some health problems,” Lestrange said. “These investigators are really in a challenging situation at this point.”
Local and state agencies may not have access to the same tools, while scams are becoming more complex and faster, Lestrange added.
Some agencies are more open than others to embracing artificial intelligence. Lestrange said collaboration between emerging AI companies and law enforcement could help develop products that make sense, rather than agencies relying only on vendors.
How to Protect Yourself From AI Scams and Deepfakes
Eman El-Sheikh, associate vice president of the University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity, said human judgment is still an important way to detect artificial content.
“First, calm down and slow down, because scammers often create a fake sense of urgency before people realize something is wrong,” she said.
During a suspicious call, she suggested saying something a loved one would respond to in a specific way or hanging up and calling them directly to verify the situation.
El-Sheikh advised social media users to avoid sharing sensitive information such as passwords, addresses and phone numbers, and to keep details about their home private.
She also emphasized reviewing app privacy settings and adjusting permissions carefully.
“It’s very important for everybody in the digital world to be very intentional about what information they say online and about protecting their privacy,” she said.
Lestrange noted that even careful online behavior can still be used against people.
“It’s really a very different world today,” he said.
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