What Is BeFake? All You Need to Know

BeFake was launched on August 9, 2023, by Alias Technologies, an American AI start-up. The company is a 12-member strong team working remotely and has successfully secured $3 million in funding, largely from the American venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.

BeFake owes its inspiration to the French social media network, BeReal, but the two could not be more different. BeReal aims for an unfiltered representation of daily life, whereas BeFake lets you take your reality and give it an artistic twist. “Let’s be real, it’s more fun to BeFake” is not just their slogan—it’s a philosophy they’re banking on.

Kristen Garcia Dumont, CEO of Alias Technologies, said in an interview: “BeFake (…) is more than just an app; it’s an expressive outlet that empowers new ways of connecting with friends through AI-generated visuals. We believe authenticity can shine through fantasy as much as reality.”

Every day, BeFake sends out a random alert to its users, opening a twenty-minute window for a moment of creation. Within this timeframe, participants can design an image of their choice. The process is refreshingly simple: Describe what you want in one or two sentences (prompt), and let the AI do its magic. You don’t need to be a graphic artist or a seasoned photographer to create eye-catching portraits.

The application leverages a Stable Diffusion AI model, tailored with a custom denoising system. In our first tests, the results were exceptionally realistic and were produced in less than ten seconds.

Like many AI-based image-generation services, BeFake allows a certain number of free images before requiring a subscription. However, every user receives 20 free minutes each day after the daily alert to edit an image without charge. Three subscription models are available:

• $9.99 per month
• $99.9 per year
• $2.99 per week

As innovative and captivating as BeFake may be, it does present a slew of questions. From the origins of the works used to train the AI model to how personal data is managed, there are several layers of concern. Furthermore, the AI community is no stranger to the issues surrounding potentially racist or sexist biases, which begs the question: Could these pitfalls eventually be BeFake’s undoing?

Alias Technologies is planning to attract a large community of users in the coming months, banking heavily on the unique capabilities of its AI technologies. As social media evolves, BeFake could well be the new frontier where technology and creativity merge seamlessly.

In conclusion, BeFake offers a counter-narrative to the typical social media experience, encouraging users to let their creativity soar. Whether you’re excited or skeptical, there’s no denying that BeFake is bringing something new to the table.

Image source: Befake