Imagine a world where you can no longer trust what you see or hear—a world where anyone’s face and voice can be mimicked with uncanny precision. This isn’t science fiction. Powered by generative artificial intelligence, deepfakes have stormed into our digital lives, creating perfect fabrications of speeches, confessions, or fraudulent transactions. As the line between real and fake blurs, the stakes have never been higher for digital security.
In the heart of this invisible battle stands Pune-based startup pi-labs, heralded as one of India’s vanguards in the fight against synthetic media.
Meet pi-labs: India’s Homegrown Deepfake Hunter
Founded by a team of technologists and AI enthusiasts, pi-labs is turning the tide on deepfakes with its flagship engine, Authentify. Using sophisticated AI++ algorithms, Authentify doesn’t just flag manipulated videos and audio—it explains how and why content has been faked, right down to pixel-level analyses. This context-aware approach has made pi-labs a trusted ally for Indian banks, police forces, and security agencies dealing daily with the specter of digital impersonation and fraud.
But pi-labs’ impact goes beyond individual products. Its suite, which also includes pi-scout for unified digital investigations and pi-sense for advanced video analytics, is being deployed for real-world missions—from helping law enforcement authenticate video evidence to empowering enterprises to thwart eKYC and payment fraud attempts. Their technology stands out not only for its technical rigor but for its “India-first” training; it recognizes cultural nuances, avoiding mistakes that foreign-made solutions might make when analyzing local faces and attire.
Ankush Tiwari, Founder of pi-labs, explained to a leading tech news website, “We used to say we live in a software-defined world. Now we live in an algorithm-controlled one.”
From the Lab to the Police Desk—Real-world Adoption
The demand for pi-labs’ solutions soared as India’s banks and public institutions became targets for sophisticated deepfake scams and identity theft. Fraudulent KYC attempts, doctored audio instructions, or impersonation of CEO voices in corporate scams are just a few nightmares plaguing the digital finance world. With products like Authentify, law enforcement has a reliable tool to verify the authenticity of digital evidence, while banks can confidently process ID verifications, knowing deepfake trickery will be caught in real-time.
Notably, pi-labs delivers its innovation as a flexible, subscription-based SaaS model, making advanced forensic AI accessible to organizations of all sizes.
The startup’s research pedigree is impressive: five global patents filed, peer-reviewed research published—including in IEEE—, and collaborations with tech icons like NVIDIA and Dell. pi-labs is not just a local leader; it is quickly joining the global conversation on digital trust.
The New Guard: Who Else Is Battling Deepfakes?
pi-labs isn’t alone on the battlefield. A wave of Indian entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers are rising to challenge digital deception.
Notable Deepfake Detection Startups in India
| Startup | Notable Solution | Unique Approach / Focus | Sector Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| pi-labs (Pune) | Authentify, pi-scout, pi-sense | AI++ detection, India-first algorithms, SaaS delivery | Law enforcement, BFSI, Security |
| Infibeam (Phronetic.AI, with IISc) | Video AI agent | Real-time monitoring of video calls, large-scale verification | Banking, Law enforcement |
| Zero Defend Security (Bengaluru) | Vastav AI | India’s first homegrown deepfake system, 99% accuracy, heatmaps, APIs | Govt., Law, Enterprise |
| Kroop AI (Gujarat) | API-based deepfake detection | Affordable deep learning platform, BFSI sector focus, customizable API tools | Banking, Entertainment |
| Neural Defend | API-powered detection tools | Easy integration, cross-media application | Enterprises, Media |
How Are They Faring?
- Infibeam’s Phronetic.AI (in partnership with IISc Bengaluru) is building smart video agents that flag deepfakes in real time during live video interactions, like online KYC or job interviews. With patents filed and lab-to-market deployment scaling up, their tech is seen as crucial for banks, HR firms, and healthcare institutions.
- Zero Defend Security’s Vastav AI, launched at a government hackathon, touts 99% detection accuracy and advanced features like forensic heatmaps and scalable API access. Free for law enforcement and paid for private sector, it’s quickly becoming the backbone of digital media integrity efforts in India.
- Kroop AI is pioneering low-cost, customizable deepfake detection APIs and is already making inroads with Indian banks and entertainment firms.
- Neural Defend is focused on easy deployment—turning deepfake detection into a plug-and-play module for media companies and large enterprises.
The Road Ahead: Can We Stay Ahead of Deepfakes?
The arms race between synthetic media creation and detection is accelerating. Generative adversarial networks used to make hyper-realistic fakes are improving by the day. Indian authorities and innovators realize public trust hangs in the balance.
The response? A lively ecosystem of AI startups, government-backed labs, and cross-sector partnerships is emerging. Solutions are becoming smarter, faster, and more tailored to India’s unique digital fabric. From regulatory frameworks to public awareness campaigns and technical guardrails, the fight is on multiple fronts.
Yet, as pi-labs’ story shows, bold innovation—rooted in rigorous R&D, contextual intelligence, and real-world deployment—is India’s best answer to an era where “seeing isn’t believing.”
As the world pivots to an algorithm-controlled future, it’s India’s AI warriors—like pi-labs and its peers—who are keeping digital trust alive, one verified frame at a time.
