Dubai Launches SARAAB, a Free Open-Source AI Tool to Detect Deepfakes

DUBAI: Dubai’s Electronic Security Centre (DESC) has officially launched SARAAB, a groundbreaking open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to detect deepfake videos and combat digital manipulation. Unveiled on September 16 at the opening day of the prestigious GISEC Global 2026 exhibition at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai, the tool represents a major milestone in the global fight against cyber fraud and synthetic media manipulation.

Developed entirely in-house by a specialized Emirati engineering team at DESC, SARAAB is engineered to identify highly sophisticated video manipulations that traditional security systems often miss. By making the software open-source, the Dubai government aims to democratize access to advanced cybersecurity tools, allowing developers, researchers, and organizations worldwide to integrate, test, and improve the model’s detection capabilities against increasingly realistic digital forgeries.

The release of SARAAB comes at a critical juncture as deepfake technology increasingly fuels financial scams, identity theft, and sophisticated misinformation campaigns globally. Cybersecurity experts believe that providing a free, high-caliber deepfake detection tool will significantly lower the barrier to entry for small businesses, media houses, and public institutions struggling to defend against AI-driven social engineering attacks, thereby strengthening regional and international digital resilience.

Following its debut at GISEC Global, DESC plans to collaborate with international tech communities to continuously update SARAAB’s training datasets, ensuring the model remains effective against evolving generative AI techniques. The agency is also expected to release API integrations in the coming months, enabling seamless deployment across various social media and enterprise communication platforms.