STUDENT CRACKS THE CODE IN FIGHT ON FAKE NEWS
A STUDENT who designed an advanced computer programme to detect ‘deepfake’ videos has been named BT’s Young Scientist and Technologist of the year.
Gregory Tarr, 17, beat more than 1,000 students at the BT Young Scientist and Technologist Exhibition, which is now in its 57th year.
The sixth-year student, from Bandon Grammar School in Co. Cork, took home a cheque for €7,500 and the newly designed trophy.
This is his fifth time competing in the exhibition, and Gregory managed to impress the judges with his project – which uses AI software to accurately detect deepfake media. Deepfakes, which have been used in revenge porn and fake news, are when a person in an existing i mage or video is replaced with someone else’s likeness. They have garnered controversy over recent years, with governments and the tech industry facing calls to detect them and limit their use.
Gregory’s software, which is made up of more than 150,000 lines of code, was praised for its speed and efficiency when compared to the current best model. He said his programme is ten times faster than the best models out there, adding that it could potentially be deployed at scale to make the internet safer.
The student, who is ‘self-taught’ in coding, said his plans for the rest of the school year are to study. He added that he is looking forward to representing Ireland at the EU’s Contest for Young Scientists.
Leonard Hobbs, chair of the technology judging panel, heaped praise on the teenager, saying: ‘The winner this year demonstrated an expertise in computer science which was well beyond his years.’ Mr Hobbs added: ‘The level of coding he deployed i n developing the extremely complex programme, which detects fake videos, was guided by his deep understanding of the state of the art of this leading-edge technology.’
The entire three-day exhibition took place virtually this year for the first time in its history, with President Michael D Higgins opening the awards ceremony on Wednesday of this week.
In his opening address, he said it was ‘ heartening’ to see the young scientists engage on a broad range of scientific and technological issues.
‘Extremely complex’