By now, were all aware of the danger deepfakes pose.
And, rightly or wrongly,people are scared.
But… that cant be all there is to them, right?
By its very nature, technology is neither good or bad its merely a tool.
Yes, deepfakes can be used to spread rampant misinformation, but what about the other side?
And thats what I wanted to find out: whats the upside of deepfake technology?
to get to answer this, I spoke with Chris Ume from from Metaphysic.
You might not recognize the name, but you definitely know his work.
Specifically, the eerily impressive deepfakes of Tom Cruise that went viral on TikTok.
Have a look at some of them here:
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He focused on the impact this could have on movies.
Effectively, deepfake technology can remove the limits of the camera.
Gaming is another sector ripe for a deepfake revolution.
Imagine playingFIFAand having the real faces of the players, Ume told me.
Or, indeed, playing something likeMetal Gear Solidand having a character with your own visage in the game.
Its not just the entertainment industry though.
Deepfakes could overhaul advertizing.
This would open up a huge number of revenue streams, but is also a murky.
What would stop celebrities images being used in, well, anything?
I put this to Ume.
Its important to work with an ethical company.
Specifically, he said high-profile individuals need to ensure their datasets are protected and secure to stop potential abuse.
And what about the damage hundreds of adverts will do to their personal image?
Scarcity is something [people] need to work out for themselves, Ume said.
This though is an off-shoot of a bigger issue facing deepfakes: regulation.
Where do we draw the line between law and personal choice?
Although he believes in regulation, he found it hard to suggest specific laws.
One element he was sure about though was tagging.
Its a thin line between funny and harmful, he told me.
This needs to change fast though.
Ume told me that hyper-real deepfake technology is progressing too fast to stop.
Its coming, whether governments like it or not.
But this neednt be a bad thing.
We still have time to teach the public and find ways to deal with this technology, Ume added.
This may be easier said than done, but it can be done.
The positive potential for this sort of technology is huge and its not going anywhere.
Lets just hope they leave us with deepfake Tom Cruise.
We all need something to live for.
Update: Chris Ume is speaking atTNW Conference 2021 on September 30th and October 1st.
