Recently Samsung demonstrated a new capability to create video clips of people talking using just a single photo. An explanation video culminated in an example of a convincing talking Mona Lisa. It’s a significant step forward in deepfake technology.
Deepfake technology refers to using A.I. processes to swap a face onto another person’s body in a video. Face-swapping is easy in photographs, but much more difficult in videos, and usually requires many sample photos of a target face.
That restriction alone is why deepfake videos are usually of celebrities, such as a compilation of movies with Nicholas Cage inserted as main characters.
Samsung has taken the technology further. Instead of relying on many pictures of a person, they can now create video from a single image, or even a painting. It isn’t entirely convincing yet; you can easily see that something is off, but with just a few photos, the illusion starts to take hold. With time, the company will likely improve on the results as well.
The whole thing is fascinating and mildly terrifying. Any technology is a tool; you could use it for good or bad. Movie studios, for instance, use deepfake technology to seemingly bring actors back from the dead, as in “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.” But we have the internet, so of course, the tech can be and is used for horrible things as well. It’s early days though, so don’t feel the need to pull all your photos of the internet just yet. [CNET]
In Other News:
The U.S. Senate passed a bill to curtail robocalling: Robocalling is the digital plague we all face. Have you stopped answering your phone altogether yet? A solution is still a long, long, long ways away, but at least there’s finally some traction. [MacRumors]
Google Duo rolls out group calling to everyone: After testing in some markets, Google is rolling out group calling to all Duo users. Now you can have up to eight people on the call, which is far less than FaceTime’s 32 max or Skype’s 50 max. Does anybody make 50 person group calls? [Engadget]
Amazon wants to scan your body: Are you in New York and have 30 minutes to spare? If you don’t mind filling out some surveys and letting a large corporation 3D scan your body (wearing “form-fitting swimwear” no less), you could score a $25 Amazon gift card. You might be asking why Amazon is doing this. That’s a pretty good question if you ask us. [Mashable]
Read the remaining 11 paragraphs
Source: How-To Geek
