Tom Cruise has gone viral on the popular video-sharing app TikTok, but the clips featuring the ‘Mission Impossible’ star are deepfakes that experts call the ‘most alarmingly lifelike examples’ of the technology.
Last week, an account appeared in the app called ‘deeptomcruise’, which features a number of videos showing Cruise performing a magic trick, playing golf and reminiscing about the time he met the former president of the Soviet Union.
The series of clips has been viewed over 11 million times on TikTok as of Tuesday, with millions more on other social media platforms.
While the clips are intended for entertainment, experts warn that such content “should worry us.”
Sam Gregory, a Witness.org program director, shared his concerns about Tom Cruise’s deepfakes Twitter: “Women are already the target of deepfakes.”
“Seeing is no longer believing” rhetoric undermines real video. ‘
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Last week an account appeared in the app called ‘deeptomcruise’, which shows a number of videos that have been viewed more than 11 million times. Photos is one of ‘Cruise’ doing a magic trick
A video shared to the account shows deepfake Cruise wearing a festive Hawaiian shirt as he kneels in front of the camera.
He reveals a coin and makes it disappear in an instant – like magic.
“I want to show you some magic,” says the impostor, holding the coin.
The series of clips has been viewed over 11 million times on TikTok as of Tuesday, with millions more on other social media platforms. Pictured is Cruise playing golf in one video
“It’s the real deal, I mean, it’s all real,” says Cruise, waving his hand across his face as if to hint that he’s not quite the popular star.
Deepfakes were invented in 2014 by Ian Goodfellow, the director of machine learning at Apple’s Special Projects Group and a leader in the field.
The word stems from the collaboration of the terms ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’ and is a form of artificial intelligence.
The system studies a target in photos and videos, allowing it to capture from multiple angles and mimic their behavior and speech patterns.
The technology gained attention during election season as many feared developers would use it to undermine the reputation of political candidates.
For now, Tom Cruise’s deepfakes appear to be for entertainment purposes.
Another video shared with the TikTok account shows the impersonator on a golf course.
‘What’s up TikTok, you guys are cool when I do some sports,’ says the ‘star’ before grabbing a club and heading out to play.
He runs back to the camera, takes off his sunglasses, and says, “Hey, listen to sports and TikTok fans, if you like what you see, wait for what comes next.”
The other clip shows Cruise walking through a clothing store where he stumbles, rolls, and jumps up again to tell the TikTok world a joke about the time he met the former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.
Tom Cruise’s deepfakes may make the world laugh, but the technology is scaring experts.
The other clip shows Cruise walking through a clothing store where he is heading out. The deepfake was able to capture the real star’s mannerisms and personality. While the clips are intended for entertainment, experts warn that such content should ’cause us concern’ as such technology can easily manipulate audiences
Leading expert Henry Ajder told the Times of London: “This technology is not going away, there is also a huge amount of really negative and malicious use cases.”
But other experts praise the work, as the fake cruise mirrors the speech, mannerisms, and looks of the real-life celebrity.
Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who specializes in the analysis of digital images, told Fortune that while he knew the clips were deepfakes, they are still “incredibly cooked.”
Farid may be alone with that opinion, as Rachel Tobac, the CEO of online security company SocialProof, tweeted that the videos proved we have reached a stage of near-‘undetectable Deepfakes’.
“ Deepfakes will affect public confidence, provide cover and plausible denial for criminals / abusers caught on video or audio, and will (and will) be used to manipulate, humiliate and hurt people, ” she added that they had “real security,” political impact for everyone, “she tweeted.
Regardless of what experts and the public think about Cruise imposter, TikTok has rules against impersonations.
‘You may not: […] impersonate a person or entity, or falsely declare or otherwise misrepresent you or your affiliation with any person or entity, including creating the impression that any content you upload, post, transmit, distribute or otherwise make available is from the Services, ‘reads the app’s policy.