For Millennials. By Millennials.
This Deepfake video by Collider, brings Robert Downey Jr, George Lucas, Tom Cruise, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Goldblum, together for a round-table meet.
What is Deepfake Tech?
The basic working behind this technology is of impersonation. In more technical terms, deepfake sees existing audio or video file replaced with another. It involves superimposing existing media onto the source media using machine learning techniques such as generative adversarial networks and auto-encoders.
The deepfake video by Collider is not just a bunch of amateurs sitting around a table with celebrity faces replacing theirs. For such videos to work, you need a solid foundation. In this case, professional celebrity impersonators, who can replicate the mannerism and voice of celebs like Top Gun star Tom Cruise and Iron Man’s Robert Downey Jr provide the base and the deep fake software takes care of the rest.
This tweet by Josh Robert Thompson, who plays both Goldblum and Lucas in the video, shows the before and after images.
Is Deepfake Tech Good or Bad?
The deep fakes have been around for almost 4 years now. The deep fake tech came into the highlight for its excessive use in celebrity porn, revenge porn, and fake news. There seems to be a divide between those in favor of it and otherwise.
The negative use of deep fake has seen strong responses from both the media and government to restrict the use.
Has this been used in Hollywood?
Some of the most famous examples of deep fake software in action include Bill Hader morphing into Tom Cruise and Seth Rogen.
Again, it works here because of Bill’s excellent impersonation skills.
Henry Cavill’s Superman in Justice League also went through some deepfake surgery. The star of the upcoming Netflix series, The Witcher, had half of his face deep faked to hide his Mission: Impossible 6 mustache.
Let’s see where this technology brings us in the years ahead.