# Deepfake Synthesis vs. Detection: An Uneven Contest

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.07986 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.07986/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 26 of its 33 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 Feb 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 26 of 26)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11929/) (2020)
- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [Very Deep Convolutional Networks for Large-Scale Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.1556/) (2014)
- [A Simple Framework for Contrastive Learning of Visual Representations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.05709/) (2020)
- [ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.0575/) (2014)
- [Momentum Contrast for Unsupervised Visual Representation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.05722/) (2019)
- [EfficientNet: Rethinking Model Scaling for Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.11946/) (2019)
- [Xception: Deep Learning with Depthwise Separable Convolutions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.02357/) (2016)
- [FaceForensics++: Learning to Detect Manipulated Facial Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.08971/) (2019)
- [Face2Face: Real-time Face Capture and Reenactment of RGB Videos](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.14808/) (2020)
- [One-Shot Free-View Neural Talking-Head Synthesis for Video Conferencing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.15126/) (2020)
- [MesoNet: a Compact Facial Video Forgery Detection Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.00888/) (2018)
- [Generalizing Face Forgery Detection with High-frequency Features](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.12376/) (2021)
- [On the Detection of Digital Face Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.01717/) (2019)
- [Thin-Plate Spline Motion Model for Image Animation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.14367/) (2022)
- [VASA-1: Lifelike Audio-Driven Talking Faces Generated in Real Time](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.10667/) (2024)
- [Capsule-Forensics: Using Capsule Networks to Detect Forged Images and Videos](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.11215/) (2018)
- [UCF: Uncovering Common Features for Generalizable Deepfake Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.13949/) (2023)
- [Diffused Heads: Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Talking-Face Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.03396/) (2023)
- [Multi-task Learning For Detecting and Segmenting Manipulated Facial Images and Videos](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.06876/) (2019)
- [FaceForensics: A Large-scale Video Dataset for Forgery Detection in Human Faces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.09179/) (2018)
- [SyncTalk: The Devil is in the Synchronization for Talking Head Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.17590/) (2023)
- [CORE: Consistent Representation Learning for Face Forgery Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.02749/) (2022)
- [Face Animation with an Attribute-Guided Diffusion Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03199/) (2023)
- [HyperReenact: One-Shot Reenactment via Jointly Learning to Refine and Retarget Faces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.10797/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Human-AI Ensembles Improve Deepfake Detection in Low-to-Medium Quality Videos](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.14658/) (2026)
- [Detecting AI-Generated Video: A Vision-Language Dual-View Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.10787/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The rapid advancement of deepfake technology has significantly elevated the realism and accessibility of synthetic media. Emerging techniques, such as diffusion-based models and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), alongside enhancements in traditional Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), have contributed to the sophisticated generation of deepfake videos. Concurrently, deepfake detection methods have seen notable progress, driven by innovations in Transformer architectures, contrastive learning, and other machine learning approaches. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive empirical analysis of state-of-the-art deepfake detection techniques, including human evaluation experiments against cutting-edge synthesis methods. Our findings highlight a concerning trend: many state-of-the-art detection models exhibit markedly poor performance when challenged with deepfakes produced by modern synthesis techniques, including poor performance by human participants against the best quality deepfakes. Through extensive experimentation, we provide evidence that underscores the urgent need for continued refinement of detection models to keep pace with the evolving capabilities of deepfake generation technologies. This research emphasizes the critical gap between current detection methodologies and the sophistication of new generation techniques, calling for intensified efforts in this crucial area of study.