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Researchers Come Out With Yet Another Unnerving, New Deepfake Method (gizmodo.com)
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have figured out a new method to create deepfakes -- videos that make it look like someone said or did something they didn't say or do. They're usually manipulated using machine learning and have been a big problem for porn sites, as they can be used to create fake celebrity pornographic videos or revenge porn. According to Gizmodo, the researchers "have figured out a way to automatically transfer the 'style' of one person to another." From the report: "For instance, Barack Obama's style can be transformed into Donald Trump," the researchers wrote in the description of a YouTube video highlighting the outcome of this method. The video shows the facial expressions of John Oliver transferred to both Stephen Colbert and an animated frog, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Obama, and from Obama to Trump. The researchers describe the process in a paper as an "unsupervised data-driven approach." Like other methods of developing deepfakes, this one uses artificial intelligence. The paper doesn't exclusively deal in translating talking style and facial movements from one human to another -- it also includes examples with blooming flowers, sunrises and sunsets, and clouds and wind.
For the person-to-person deepfakes, the researchers cite examples of how certain mannerisms can be transferred, including "John Oliver's dimple while smiling, the shape of mouth characteristic of Donald Trump, and the facial mouth lines and smile of Stephen Colbert." The team used videos available to the public to develop these deepfakes. It's easy to see how these techniques might be applied in a more innocuous way...
For the person-to-person deepfakes, the researchers cite examples of how certain mannerisms can be transferred, including "John Oliver's dimple while smiling, the shape of mouth characteristic of Donald Trump, and the facial mouth lines and smile of Stephen Colbert." The team used videos available to the public to develop these deepfakes. It's easy to see how these techniques might be applied in a more innocuous way...
No, I really have trouble seeing a less innocuous application than making John Oliver look like an animated frog. Not even using the example in TFA. It's the less innocuous things that concern. I suspect this was intended as a throwaway line to point at positives before transitioning to the apocalyptic.
the deepfake looks pretty poor if you actually look at the video. It's all twisty and distorted in strange ways, but somehow it seems ok when compared with the actual regular video next to it.
no doubt mimicry like this is coming, but this isn't quite the real thing yet
I think people will use it as a prop when claming other real video is faked though. They will say the latest scandal against their group has been edited and deepfaked without any way to prove it, and those who want to believe will continue to believe
Headlines don't need adjectives. We don't need to be told what to think about something that is being reported. We are able to make up our own minds.
Just give us the information. We'll form our own opinions.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
Big Brother is no longer just watching: Big Brother is now taking direct action. ;-)
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Just sayin'.
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But you can't use deepfakes to fake Trump, you need shallowfakes.
Ezekiel 23:20
Just give us the information. We'll form our own opinions.
And that's OK.
does not convince me of a proof of concept as much as a FUD campaign to attract attention to its ancillary claims of assisting film direction and self-driving cars and the latest battleground of chip makers.
Would were! Should is! Could be! And live a hundred times three.
But I assume that would be fairly straightforward once they've done the video...
If you watch the video, it's really not some creepy omg Donald Trump looks like Obama now! It just makes the altered video look a little strange and obviously doctored. I would say nothing to worry about.
Perhaps unsurprisingly I read this as "deepFLAKE" instead.
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The schadenfreude is strong. I'm having real difficulty feeling sorry for the people who are going to be the most upset about this: Politicians and celebrities. I'm a little worried someone might try to use the tech to start a war, but ask me to spend one microsecond feeling sorry for some celebrity for being pasted onto a porn star, and I'm failing utterly.