Advancing knowledge and practice wherever people interact with information and technology

Professor Hany Farid and graduate student Shruti Agarwal have created a new forensic approach that can use the subtle characteristics of how a person speaks to recognize whether a new video of that individual is real or a fake.

Their technique could be used to help journalists, policy makers, and the public stay one step ahead of bogus videos of political or economic leaders that could be used to swing an election, destabilize a financial market, or even incite civil unrest and violence.

“You’re going to be repeatedly called on to explain to people what a school of information is,” said commencement keynote speaker Geoffrey Nunberg to the class of 2019. “So I want to share with you my take about what makes this place exceptional, and how that makes you exceptional.”

Now, more than ever, a commitment to a human-centric approach to information and technology is critical, agreed commencement speakers Nunberg, Dean AnnaLee Saxenian, Chancellor Carol Christ, and students chosen to represent the MIMS, MIDS, and Ph.D. programs.

“We hold interdisciplinary skills and deep expertise unmatched by our colleagues in other disciplines,” said Ph.D. graduate Elaine Sedenberg. “This is why we as Berkeley I Schoolers are exactly what the world needs right now.”