TikTok has been taken by surprise recently by amazing deep fakes of Tom Cruise. They are so realistic and well-acted that many people can not believe they are just fake. There are many reactions to these videos. Some find them amazing and are astonished by the capabilities of today's technology. Some are creeped out that A.I. can copy a human's face so well on video and are afraid for the future and the safety of their identity.
The videos themselves are quite strange and often even eerie. At one point, Tom Cruise is just playing golf; the next, he's telling us to be excited for what's to come.
More info: tiktok.com
This was the first video the account posted where they say that people should be excited for what comes next
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
The creator of these deepfakes is Chris Ume from Belgium. He created a TikTok account simply called @deeptomcruise, then shared the link to his LinkedIn page. He posted 3 videos that grabbed the attention of over 11 million people. And they are some of the most realistic deepfakes out there for now. There is not much known about Ume, but he's well-known among A.I. artists and their community. On his website, he writes: "I create the craziest videos and love humor. My talent is my eye for perfection and my high-quality standards. I'd rather finish something I'm proud of than quick garbage." Ume cares about quality—no wonder his deepfakes are so amazing.
In the second video, they show off the capabilities of the A.I. with lots of movement and strangely talk about Mikhail Gorbachev
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
In an interview about deepfakes for the Philadelphia PBS television station WHYY that Ume shared on his website, the artist talks about deepfakes and how he sees them. Ume says that deepfake is an exciting new tool that opens up new possibilities and people shouldn't be scared, just more skeptical about the things they see on TV and other sources of media.
In the third one, 'Tom Cruise' shows a magic trick and hints that all of this is real
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Image credits: deeptomcruise
Ume's social media and YouTube accounts show many deepfakes he has created over the years. He recreates movie and video scenes and music videos, from Snoop Dogg to Smeagol to Einstein. The artist is highly trained in visual effects and does an amazing job at tricking the audience. Ume's deepfakes are so realistic it's hard to believe sometimes.
Here's how people reacted
A deepfake is A.I.-generated synthetic content where a person's face is switched with another. The goal of A.I. is tricking the audience into thinking that something has happened, or that the person they're seeing was in a situation they have never been in or said something they never have. No wonder some people are afraid of it.
It would probably be wise to question everything you see in the media from now on, no matter how realistic and real it looks. What do you think of deepfakes? Do you find them fascinating or creepy? Tell us in the comments down below.