Deepfakes for fun: When deepfakes become entertainment

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• December 7, 2023

Insight summary

Deepfake technology, leveraging AI and ML, is transforming content creation across various industries. It allows easy modification of photos and videos, popular on social media for face-swapping features. In entertainment, deepfakes enhance video quality and facilitate multilingual dubbing, improving international viewing experiences. Accessible through user-friendly platforms, deepfakes are used for film enhancements, creating lifelike avatars in VR/AR environments, educational recreations of historical events, and personalized advertising. They also aid in medical training through realistic simulations and enable fashion brands to showcase diverse virtual models, offering cost-effective and inclusive solutions in content creation.

Deepfakes for positive content creation context

Deepfake technology is often featured in popular smartphone and desktop applications that allow users to alter the facial expressions of people in photographs and videos. Accordingly, this technology is becoming more accessible via intuitive interfaces and off-device processing. For example, the widespread use of deepfakes in social media was led by the popular face swap filter where individuals exchanged each other’s faces on their mobile devices. 

Deepfakes are made using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), a method in which two computer programs fight each other to produce the best results. One program makes the video, and the other attempts to see mistakes. The result is a remarkably realistic merged video. 

As of 2020, deepfake technology is mainly accessible to the public. People no longer need computer engineering skills to create a deepfake; it can be made in seconds. There are several deepfake-related GitHub repositories where people contribute their knowledge and creations. Aside from that, there are over 20 deepfake creation communities and virtual discussion boards (2020). Some of these communities have around 100,000 subscribers and participants. 

Disruptive impact

Deepfake technology is quickly gaining traction in the entertainment industry to improve existing video quality. Because deepfakes can replicate the movements of a person’s lips and facial expressions to match what they are saying, they can assist in film enhancements. The technology can improve black-and-white films, enhance the quality of amateur or low-budget videos, and create more realistic experiences for international audiences. For instance, deepfakes may produce cost-effective dubbed audio in multiple languages by employing local voice actors. Additionally, deepfakes may assist in generating a voice for an actor whose vocal ability has been lost due to sickness or injury. Deepfakes are also beneficial to use if there are problems in sound recording during film production. 

Deepfake technology is gaining popularity among content creators who use face-swapping apps like Ukraine-based Reface. The company, Reface, is interested in expanding its technology to include full-body swaps. Reface developers claim that by allowing this technology to be accessed by the masses, everyone can experience living a different life one simulated video at a time. 

However, ethical concerns are raised by the increasing number of deepfakes videos on social media. First is the use of deepfake technology in the porn industry, where people upload pictures of clothed women to a deepfake app and “strip” them of their clothing. There’s also the use of altered videos in numerous high-profile misinformation campaigns, notably during national elections. As a result, Google and Apple have banned deepfake software that creates malicious content from their app stores.

Implications of using deepfakes for content creation

Wider implications of deepfakes for content creation may include: 

• A reduction in special effects costs for content creators filming scenes that involve high-profile individuals, de-aging actors, replacing actors unavailable for reshoots, or featuring remote or dangerous scenery. 
• Realistically syncing actors' lip movements with dubbed audio in different languages, enhancing the viewing experience for international audiences.
• Create lifelike digital avatars and characters inside VR and AR environments, enriching the immersive experience for users.
• Recreating historical figures or events for educational purposes, allowing students to experience historical speeches or events more vividly.
• Brands creating more personalized advertising, such as featuring a popular celebrity spokesperson in different regional markets by altering their appearance or language while maintaining authenticity.
• Fashion brands showcasing clothing and accessories by creating diverse virtual models that promotes inclusive representation without the logistical challenges of traditional photoshoots.
• Medical training facilities creating realistic patient simulations for medical training, helping practitioners learn to diagnose and treat various conditions in a controlled, virtual environment.

Questions to comment on

• How can people protect themselves from deepfake misinformation?
• What are the other potential benefits or risks of deepfake technology?