Deepfake Professionals

High School

Deepfake professionals are computer experts, so be sure to take as many computer-related classes as possible in high school. Recommended courses include programming, software development, artificial intelligence, web design, computer science, computer security, and data analytics/science. Mathematics courses will also be useful. Take algebra, trigonometry, calculus, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, statistics, and applied mathematics courses. Other useful classes include English, speech, foreign language, business, psychology, and social studies.

Postsecondary Education

There are no degree programs in deepfake technology. As a result, deepfake professionals have a variety of educational backgrounds, but most have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in software design or engineering, computer programming, computer security, data science, computer science, applied mathematics, or a related field. Students may combine study in one of the aforementioned fields with a certificate, minor, or specialization in AI, ML, or machine intelligence.

A growing number of colleges and universities—such as Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, and Northeastern University—offer degree programs in artificial intelligence or machine learning.

Certification

A growing number of colleges and universities offer certificate programs in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and related fields. For example, Cornell University offers a certificate in machine learning to students who complete the following courses: Problem-Solving with Machine Learning; Estimating Probability Distributions; Learning with Linear Classifier; Decision Trees and Model Selection; Debugging and Improving Machine Learning Models; Learning with Kernel Machines; Deep Learning and Neural Networks; Linear Algebra: Low Dimension; and Matrix and Linear Algebra: High Dimension. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.

Other Education or Training

This is a cutting-edge field in which better ways to both create and detect deepfakes are constantly being developed. As a result, you’ll need to take continuing education classes throughout your career. These learning opportunities are offered by professional organizations such as the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (which offers a Symposium on Educational Advances in Artificial Intelligence at its Conference on Artificial Intelligence) and IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. You can also take courses at colleges and universities. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers courses such as AI-Generated Media (Deepfakes for Good) and Media Literacy in the Age of Deepfakes. Other educational options are provided by cybersecurity education companies (such as INFOSEC, which provides a deepfake course) and online learning platforms (Coursera, edX, Udemy, Khan Academy, etc.).