# What is a deepfake?

> A deepfake is AI-made audio, video or images that copy a real person. At work the risk is a fake boss voicemail or video call asking for an urgent payment.

Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deepfake · Updated 2026-10-20 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com)

[AI basics](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-ai-basics) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)

Quick answer

A deepfake is audio, video or an image made or changed with AI so that it looks or sounds like a real person saying or doing something they never did. In offices the common threat is a cloned voice or fake video call from a boss or vendor asking for an urgent payment or bank change.

Last updated October 20, 2026

[Take the free module →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-security/4)Module 4 of the free [AI Security for Small Business](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-security) course, about 7 minutes. No account needed.

Updated October 20, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about)

## Why it matters for a small business

Voice cloning now needs only a short recording, and a convincing fake can be paired with a well-written email. Spotting fakes by ear or eye is unreliable, so the protection has to be a process: verify through a channel you already trust, and require a second approver for money moves.

Deepfakes are also a reputational and legal issue. Using a real person's likeness without consent can break platform rules and laws, and the EU AI Act requires deepfakes to be disclosed as AI-generated. Don't put staff or customers in AI images or voices without asking.

## In a real lesson: Stop a Fake Vendor Bank-Change Request Before You Pay using Claude

In [Stop a Fake Vendor Bank-Change Request](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/stop-a-fake-vendor-bank-change-request-before-you-pay), Priya at Harbor & Pine Bookkeeping gets an email from Northgate Paper Supply asking her to pay invoice 8812, $6,420.00, to a new account today, plus a voicemail that sounds like her boss, Mike.

In the real test, Claude listed the corroborating voicemail as a red flag, because two channels pushing the same request is a tactic and voices are easy to fake or clone. The lesson's three rules work whether or not the voice is real: call back on a number you already have, get a second approver, and slow down when it's urgent.

[Try this lesson free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/ai-payment-scams) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/stop-a-fake-vendor-bank-change-request-before-you-pay).

## Common confusions

### Deepfake vs voice cloning

Voice cloning is the technique of copying a voice. A deepfake is the fake result, which can be voice, video or images.

### Deepfake vs AI-generated image

Most AI images are new pictures. A deepfake specifically imitates a real, identifiable person.

## Tips

- Never approve a payment based on a voice or video alone.
- Call back on a number from your own records.
- Agree a code word or second-approver rule for urgent money requests.

## Related terms

[Voice cloning](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/voice-cloning) · [Phishing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/phishing) · [Approval threshold](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/approval-threshold) · [AI watermarking](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-watermarking) · [Multi-factor authentication (MFA)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/multi-factor-authentication)

## More AI basics terms

[Diffusion model](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/diffusion-model) · [Embeddings](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/embeddings) · [Explainable AI (XAI)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/explainable-ai) · [Fine-tuning](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/fine-tuning)

## Where you use it: free lessons

- [Stop a Fake Vendor Bank-Change Request Before You Pay using Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/stop-a-fake-vendor-bank-change-request-before-you-pay) (Claude, 7 min)
- [Make Images with ChatGPT for Your Business](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/make-images-with-chatgpt-for-your-business) (ChatGPT, 7 min)

## Frequently asked questions

**How can I tell if a voice is a deepfake?**

Often you can't. Treat urgency, secrecy and changed payment details as the warning signs, and verify through a channel you already trust.

**Are deepfakes illegal?**

It depends on the use and the place. Fraud is illegal however it is done, and many laws and platform rules restrict using someone's likeness without consent.

**What should I do if I get a suspicious voice message?**

Don't act on it. Call the person back on a number you already have, and tell whoever handles security.

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