0

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

It’s getting easier to create DeepFakes and use them for fun or to run scams.

 

Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX might have banned Zoom for its employees over security concerns, however, you shouldn’t be surprised if the CEO himself makes an appearance on your monthly meetings.

 

RELATED
US startup secures $200m in funding to build 300 vertical farms across China

 

Yes, deepfakes have just taken yet another leap forwards, and as they get easier and cheaper to produce, in this case thanks to a developer who just simply used a photo of Elon Musk from the internet to create a good quality deepfake, just as Samsung showed off a while ago with their own deepfake tech, you can only expect more Elon Musk’s and celebs to turn up on more video calls.

Turning to the dark side though you might now also have to be on guard for your “boss” video calling you to get you to transfer vast sums of money to a dodgy Ukrainian bank account – a scam that this British energy CEO just fell victim to after he transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars at his “bosses” request after his real bosses voice got cloned.

 

Watch DeepFake Elon Musk crash a video call

 

In the video you can see Musk “popping” into a three-way Zoom call, and if it wasn’t for the awkward face movements and voice differences it might have fooled us all.

 

RELATED
Digital humans that sign make more content accessible to the deaf community

 

Programmer Ali Aliev, the man behind the Elon mask, used an open-source code from the “First Order Motion Model for Image Animation” software to build Avatarify, which is what you can use to superimpose Britney Spears’ face onto your face in real-time during Skype and Zoom meetings.

Yes, thanks to this deepfake-powered filter, you can actually attend video calls as anyone from Mona Lisa to Elon Musk, and the code is available on Github for anyone to use.

 

How Ali built the DeepFake
 

In another YouTube clip, shown above, Aliev shows how Avatarify can take footage from his computer’s webcam to translate his facial movements on to still images of Albert Einstein, Eminem, and Steve Jobs.

 

RELATED
FCC opens up new spectrum for 6G, 7G and "whatever's next"

 

Which then begs the question… who do you want to be today? The Dalai Lama promoting peace, or Donald Trump announcing all out nuclear war? Pandora’s Box has been opened and there’s no going back. But it’ll be fun – probably.

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *