The fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act has earmarked $10M for the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity to conduct competitions focused on 5G and “deepfake” technology research, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.
IARPA will get $5M in prize funding to promote “research, development, or commercialization” of technologies that will automatically identify deepfake media, or machine-manipulated videos that could exacerbate disinformation campaigns. The NDAA also mandates the director of national intelligence to report cases of foreign entities using deepfake technology for election interference to Congress.
Additionally, IARPA will receive $5M to “carry out a program to award prizes competitively” to support R&D efforts of 5G or fifth-generation technology.
The agency seeks input from interested participants in the academic and private sectors.
