An investigation by researchers at Stanford Internet Observatory uncovered more than 1,000 LinkedIn profiles using facial images that appear to be made with artificial intelligence.

According to NPR, veteran researcher Renée DiResta was contacted by a profile on LinkedIn, with little things appearing off about the image. For DiResta, the face “jumped out at me as being fake”. Some of the signs included the central positioning of the eyes in the image and vague backgrounds.

This prompted her to begin an investigation with her colleague Josh Goldstein on the number of computer generated – or deepfake – images on LinkedIn profiles.

Deepfakes use a form of artificial intelligence to combine and superimpose existing images and videos to make fake images of people or make it look like a person has said or done something they have not.

While there have been examples of deepfakes used as a source of humour, there have also been fears that this technology could be used to discredit individuals or as a tool to interfere in elections.

And people on social media use faces from LinkedIn to appear like users with specific demographic characteristics while spreading disinfo… https://t.co/j4cSwgX0qs

— Timnit Gebru (@timnitGebru) March 28, 2022

Following this investigation, it appears the technology has entered the corporate world. NPR said many of these profiles appear to be for marketing and sales purposes. When someone connects with the fake profile, they’ll end up speaking to a real salesperson.

NPR suggested this tactic could allow sales companies to “cast a wide net online” without having to employ more staff.

Apart from the computer-generated images, these profiles listed other companies as previous employers on their page, which had no record of them when contacted.

One of the companies that was using these fake profiles, AirSales, said it hires independent contractors to provide marketing services and that these contractors may make LinkedIn profiles “at their own discretion”.

“To my knowledge, there are no specific rules for profile pictures or the use of avatars,” AirSales CEO Jeremy Camilloni told NPR. “This is actually common among tech users on LinkedIn.”

LinkedIn’s professional community policies state that it does not allow fake profiles or entities on its website. This includes using images of someone else, or “any other image that is not your likeness” for profile photos.

NPR technology correspondent Sharon Bond said on Twitter that LinkedIn has removed most of the profiles the investigation found and is updating its defenses to catch fake accounts.

A community report on LinkedIn’s transparency page said it removed more than 15m fake accounts in the first half of 2021, with most of these stopped by automated defenses.

However, for the accounts that make it onto the website, it can be difficult for people to spot a computer-generated image. A study released last month had participants examine similar facial images to decide which one was real and which was a deepfake.

The participants had an average accuracy of 48.2pc, slightly lower than if the results were based on chance.

Last year, Cork teen Greg Tarr was named the overall winner in 2021’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition for his work in developing an improved method to detect deepfakes.

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