'Didn't want to fool': Tom Cruise deepfake creator says technology should be regulated

The creator of a series of deepfake Tom Cruise videos that garnered millions of views on social media platforms said that he never wanted to trick people. Deepfakes are convincing fake videos made with AI software. Chris Ume, the Belgian visual artist behind the viral clips, said that he is hoping that the sudden influx of attention can help bring greater awareness to the continued evolution of the technology that can create incredibly realistic fake videos of people. 

While speaking to the Fortune web magazine, Chris said that he strongly thinks that there should be laws that help with the responsible use of AI and deepfakes in general. The 31-year-old said that there will always be people with bad intentions seeking to misuse technology but that his own purpose in creating deepfakes is entertainment, not misinformation or abuse. He said that he didn’t want to “fool people at any moment” and added that if he can help in creating awareness, or even work on detection in the future, he would love to. Watch the video that caused stir:

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Chris had created four videos, in which it appeared to show the Hollywood star Tom Cruise playing golf, doing a magic trick, and falling over while telling a story about the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. All the videos had gone viral, attracting attention on TikTok and across the internet. Despite being open about its falseness, Chris’ videos are so realistic that they prompted wild speculation. 

Though most internet users had realised quickly that the clips were fake, experts, however, were impressed by the quality. While speaking to the media outlet, Chris said he never reveals the highly technical tricks he uses for the most difficult aspects of making the deepfakes believable, such as manipulating a deepfake character’s mouth. He also added that he wouldn’t work with a government hoping to use deepfakes for misinformation or propaganda. 

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Famous personalities become victim of new tech 

It is worth noting that synthetic digital content, otherwise known as a deepfake, can include anything from an image or video in which one person or object is visually or audibly manipulated to say and do something that is fabricated. The video looks and sounds too real to be fake due to which law commissions across the globe are even considering proposals to make it illegal to create deepfake videos without consent. Not just Tom Cruise, but former US President Barack Obama and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have also been a victim of the new technology. 

This new age of photoshop may look fun, but it is also dangerous. Previously, Tesla stocks had also crashed after CEO Elon Musk was seen smoking marijuana on a live show. Similar videos can be crafted on some other known personality as well which could lead to his/her rise or fall. 

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