*GOOGLE'S TOOLING UP TO SPOT FAKE VIDEO*

Google engineer Supasorn Suwajanakorn (left)

LYING EYES : Google engineer developing tool to spot fake video.

In an era replete with  fake news stories, you might expect video evidence to provide a clearer picture of the truth.

You'd be wrong, according to Google engineer Supascorn Suwajanakorn - who has developed a tool which, fed with the right input, can create a realistic fake video that mimics the way a person talks-

By closely observing existing footage of their mouth and teeth to create the prefect lip-sync.

Like any technology, it has great potential for both good and mischief.

Suwajanakorn is therefore also working with the AI  Foundation on a 'Reality Defender' app that would run automatically in web browsers to spot and flag pictures or videos.

''I let a computer watch 14 hours of pure Obama video, and synthesized him talking,'' Suwanjanakorn said while sharing his shockingly convincing work at the TED Conference in Vancouver on Wednesday.

Such technology could be used to create  virtual versions of  those who have passed - grandparents could be asked for advice; actors returned to the screen; great teachers give lessons, or authors read their works aloud, according to Suwajanakorn.

He noted a New Dimensions in Testimony project that lets people have conversations with holograms of Holocaust survivors.

The Research Publishing continues.