Accenture, through its venture capital arm Accenture Ventures, has made a strategic investment in US-based cybersecurity company Reality Defender.

Founded in 2021, Reality Defender focuses on combating deepfake-related cyber threats. It offers a suite of solutions designed to thwart the dangers posed by deepfakes and AI-manipulated content.

Its offerings are tailored for enterprises, government bodies, and institutions, protecting them from complex voice fraud in call centres and ensuring the authenticity of media content in newsrooms.

Reality Defender has developed a real-time voice detection platform that can intercept audio-based deepfakes as they occur.

Additionally, its audiovisual detection technology is capable of identifying the most advanced AI-generated faces in images and videos, even those created with the newest generative AI models.

Reality Defender co-founder and CEO Ben Colman said: “Accenture’s global reach and cybersecurity expertise will allow Reality Defender to scale our technology during a time of heightened deepfake volatility.

“With Accenture’s support and alignment with our mission of combatting AI-generated fraud, we can work toward defeating the most advanced cyber threats of our time. Through our collaborative efforts, we will pave the way for a more secure and trustworthy digital landscape, ensuring a safer future for all.”

Through this collaboration, the parties aim to strengthen defences for clients in financial services, media, and high-tech industries against deepfake extortion, fraud, and disinformation.

Furthermore, Accenture plans to incorporate the expertise of Reality Defender into its deepfake detection and protection services, to enhance its call centre AI automation solutions.

The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Accenture Security global lead Paolo Dal Cin said: “As deepfakes become more convincing and harder to identify, organisations urgently need scalable and effective detection solutions.

“Reality Defender offers a unique approach to proactively detect AI-related threats across image, audio, text and video. Our investment in Reality Defender demonstrates our strong commitment to helping clients confidently navigate the gen AI driven threat landscape, mitigate financial fraud and maintain the integrity of their digital communications.”

The latest development comes after Accenture, though Accenture Ventures, invested in Earli, a biotech company specialising in early cancer detection.