We have already talked at length about the many possibilities that artificial intelligence has and about the technological revolution that they have brought about. One of them is altering a person’s image, whether in a photo or in a video, to make them look younger or older realistically, or even replacing their face with another person’s.
While we have very good examples of such uses, like the latest Indiana Jones movie where we saw Harrison Ford looking like his old self in several scenes, “deepfake” technology also poses significant challenges.
Think about it for a moment: How would you feel seeing yourself in a video doing something you wouldn’t want to do, knowing that it’s not really you? Unfortunately, this is something many people are experiencing nowadays, including celebrities and public figures like Tom Hanks.
In recent months, Hanks has spoken positively about the implementation of AI in the film industry, to the extent that his latest movie, “Here,” uses this technology to make him look younger. But of course, this use of AI to alter his image was done with his consent.
Through social media, a video has gone viral featuring a supposed young Tom Hanks endorsing dental insurance. While some might assume the advertisement is official and that Hanks has simply been made to look younger for aesthetic reasons, the Hollywood actor has confirmed on his Instagram account that he has nothing to do with it.
The worst part of this situation is that Hanks’ case is relatively “mild,” considering the thousands and thousands of deepfakes circulating on the internet where the faces of porn actresses have been replaced with those of famous (and not so famous) individuals. A technology that can be as fascinating as it is terrifying, depending on how it is used.
