Spotting the Fakes: A Deep Dive into GAN-Generated Face Detection

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have enabled the creation of highly authentic facial images, which are increasingly used in deceptive social media profiles and other forms of disinformation, resulting in serious consequences. Significant progress has been made in developing GAN-generated face detection systems to identify these fake images. This study offers a comprehensive review of recent advancements in GAN-generated face detection, focusing on techniques that detect facial images generated by GAN models. We categorize detection methods into three groups: (1) deep learning-based approaches, (2) physics-based methods, and (3) physiology-based methods. We summarize key concepts in each category, connecting them to relevant implementations, datasets, and evaluation metrics. Additionally, we provide a comparative analysis between automated detection and human visual performance to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches. Furthermore, we review related surveys, including detecting morphed faces, manipulated faces, DeepFake, and faces generated by diffusion models. Finally, we discuss unresolved challenges and suggest potential directions for future research.