Deepfakes are something I avoid in general. They can be evil and creepy. However, there are exceptions. For example, the YouTuber who created a deeper fake version of Luke Skywalker's young self in The Mandalorian was better than Lucasfilms CG division. Warner Bros. recently launched a deepfake marketing campaign which made me want to congratulate the studio.AdvertisementProtocol reported that Warner Bros. has teamed up with AI face platform D-ID in order to create a deepfake generator, which allows anyone to insert a trailer for the movie Reminiscence. The generator is easy to use. Simply go to the movies website and upload a photo of yourself. The generator will create a trailer with a moving sequence of deepfake footage of your face.Reminiscence stars Thandiwe Newton and Rebecca Ferguson. It's a sci-fi noir film that stars Hugh Jackman as Nick Bannister (Jackman). Nick helps clients to access their lost memories using holograms. Bannister becomes obsessed by finding out the fate of Mae, his new client (Ferguson), when she disappears. Reminiscence, the first film of Westworld executive producer and co-writer Lisa Joy, was discussed earlier this week.On YouTube, you can see Protocol's example trailer made using the generator. It's amazing to see how real-life-like the expressions of the deepfake look. Also, it is incredible that D-ID was able to do that with only one photo.This tech is not D-ID's first eye-catching deepfake. In February, the startup's Deep Nostalgia service made waves. It allowed users to create animated photos of deceased relatives. This service was developed by MyHeritage. Later, the tool was updated to allow users to select from a variety smiles and expressions such as compassionate looks and kisses.MyHeritage announced five weeks after Deep Nostalgias' debut that more than 72,000,000 photos had been animated with the Deep Nostalgia software. D-ID plans to partner with museums to create deepfake videos featuring artists discussing their work.Protocol stated that D-IDs AI is unique because it can work with only one photo. To train their AI systems to create deepfake video, the company's competitors often require multiple photos and videos.D-ID CEO Gil Perry stated that AI will be able to replace actors in the future. The tech isn't yet there and it could take several more years to achieve that goal.AdvertisementPerry stated that our long-term goal is to create complete productions using AI.Perry acknowledged that I was concerned about deepfake technology. Protocol was informed by Perry that they are looking at ways to ensure its deepfakes don't become a tool for harassment and manipulation. It will be interesting to see if the company follows through.AdvertisementReminiscence will be available in theaters and HBO Max starting August 20.
