Comment by bsenftner
6 years ago
Anything truly new is met with everything but understanding.
Back in 2006 I had the seeds of an idea that you probably know today as a "deep fake", but I was calling it "personalized media". By 2008 I had a fully operating feature film quality automated actor replacement pipeline (my background is visual effects.) However, even with a working system nobody could understand the ramifications this could have on education, entertainment and advertising. Even today, I'd be surprised if you, dear reader, understand the ramifications of being able to replace actors in filmed media. The shortsightedness of, well everyone, is obvious. People think of creating porn when they think of a deep fake, yet that is the dumbest implementation of the technology one could waste their time doing. Why not create an advertising system where consumers, and their friends appear in video advertising using the products being advertised? Add celebrities and you have virtual celebrity experiences. Add political candidates and you have virtual meet your candidate experiences. Educational media where you and your classmates are on location in historical events. This is just the smallest example of how far media with the viewer embedded in it could go. I pursued the idea until I went bankrupt.
the Russian film and novel "Generation P" from around that era explores the implications of this tech. It's very ahead of out times. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_P_(film)
Looks very interesting, I will have to watch.
Its a shame of your bankrupcy, but I do wonder what all the other ideas really are, Tupac on Coachella, Carrie Fisher in star wars, Trump's face on a baby, and maybe like in the old movie Simone true virtual stars (sim one, get it), what the real ramifications are. Maybe I don't get it but it is not anything different than those Elvis lookalikes on Times Square.
It is actually significantly different. Imagine being a typically American White Christian and seeing a compelling narrative where you are borne Black, you see yourself as a Black version of yourself in the media mirrors, and you experience a powerful story about the harshness of life as a Black American child. That is significantly more powerful than a Times Square Elvis.
That's called blackface and is sort of what Elvis did.
You can watch porn with anyone you like edited into it.
You can watch a ShamWow infomercial with yourself in it.
You bet your life savings that the second would be more popular with the general public? You're right, I don't understand.
Even trying to steelman your position I don't want any of those things; a video of me in a Tesla? Why? A video of oneself meeting Elvis? I guess someone would want the novelty of that maybe once? Virtual "Meet Trump/Obama/Sanders/Warren?" nope.
Films and TV shows regularly have an actor leave/die and replace them with a different one playing the same character, and we're all fine with it. I'd much rather watch a good presenter touring Pompeii than watch fake-myself touring Pompeii.
I can much more imagine the response to "Hey! It's YOU driving a new Mercedes in that advert!" would be "Do I really look that pale?" or "Stop putting me in every damn advert you creeps!".
For specific demographics, media with you and your associates in it will appear like highly seductive magic, and it can engender brand loyalty in a manner only seen in Trump supporters.