Why Hollywood is Embracing Artificial Intelligence Deepfakes…

Singaporean actress, model, and former radio DJ, Jamie Yeo, is fully on board with the concept of being deepfaked, having willingly signed up for it!

Hollywood Strikes!:
This comes at a time when the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) in the US faced difficulties in reaching an agreement to provide better protections against AI misuse for its members. The actors' union is raising alarm about the potential "existential threat" posed by artificial intelligence to creative professions and is steadfast in addressing the issue.

‘AI is here to stay!’:
Despite the concerns raised, Ms. Yeo remains unfazed. She is among a growing number of celebrities who are embracing AI-generated advertising.

Ms. Yeo recently inked a deal with financial technology firm Hugosave, granting them permission to use a digitally manipulated version of her likeness for their promotional content. The process involves spending a few hours in front of a green screen to capture her facial expressions and movements, followed by recording her voice in a studio. An AI program then synchronises the visuals with the audio to create a highly realistic digital alter-ego capable of delivering virtually any message.

The results are astonishingly lifelike.

Acknowledging the concerns surrounding this technology, she states, "I do understand the concern, but this technology is here to stay." She believes that even if some people may be hesitant to embrace it due to fears, others will undoubtedly welcome and adopt it enthusiastically.
 

Has AI gone too far?
Certain individuals have already taken part in this, including superstar footballer Lionel Messi, who permitted PepsiCo to utilise a deepfake of himself for promoting Lay's crisps as part of their agreement.

This allows online users to create personalised video messages from the virtual "Lionel Messi" in multiple languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish.

In addition to Lionel Messi, fellow football superstar David Beckham and Hollywood icon Bruce Willis have also experimented with deepfake technology. However, unlike Ms. Yeo, they have refrained from completely surrendering their image rights so far.