An incredible series of videos swap famous Hollywood faces to demonstrate how convincing 'deepfake' tech has gotten - take a look

Ben GilbertMay 31, 2019, 20:23 IST

YouTube

Deepfake video technology combines computer graphics technology with artificial intelligence to create extremely impressive fake videos of real or invented people.
The tech has been used to create convincing videos of world leaders making false statements, and was even demonstrated with the Mona Lisa.
A new YouTube channel uses the tech to create wild movie mash-ups, like putting the Joker from "Batman" into "A Knight's Tale."
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It's hard to discuss so-called "deepfake" technology without alarming people, and that's because it's some extremely creepy magic: The promise of deepfake tech is the power to create extremely convincing videos of people that never actually happened.

It's not hard to imagine how this could be misused - a video of former US President Barack Obama insulting current US President Donald Trump doesn't actually exist, but one was created using deepfake tech.

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A new series of (thankfully) harmless videos showcases the power of deepfake tech, utilizing Hollywood heavyweights - take a look:

See An incredible series of videos swap famous Hollywood faces to demonstrate how convincing 'deepfake' tech has gotten - take a look >>

1. Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in "Batman" is put in "A Knight's Tale" instead.

Check out the video below:

2. Bill Hader doing impersonations on Conan O'Brien's show morphs into the person he's impersonating, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Check it out:

3. The "Fight Club" scenes offer a clearer look at the personality disorder at the center of the movie.

Check it out in the video below:

4. A second scene from "Fight Club" offers another look at how the tech can be used:

You can watch it here:

5. And finally, one more with Bill Hader — this time as Al Pacino.