What marketers need to be aware of about video fakes?

If you've heard the term "deepfake," you might immediately think of the fraud, ethically questionable, or even downright unsettling videos that have been circulating around the internet over the last several years. As fake video content - - and the AI technology used to power these videos continue to get sophisticated, it's essential that both creators and marketers in all industries understand how they work and explore ways to use them to stay and stay ahead in the ever-changing environment.

For the uninitiated the term "deepfakes" refers to fake media that has been created digitally and altered to alter or recreate a person's appearance convincingly. This gives them the capability to make videos which look and feel authentic yet they aren't. This is why it's normal that they might receive a negative rap for spreading misinformation or exploiting individuals' appearances.

Like any technology, though it's in the way you make use of it. Forward-thinking marketers and creators are already using deepfake technology -- legally and responsiblytoto create new art forms, tell new stories, as well as improve their own video campaigns.

In this post this article, we'll discuss some examples of deepfake technology being used to good ends in addition to suggestions on how to experiment on your own with this technology.

What is a fake?

A deepfake is a film or audio file of a person whose face or body has been digitally modified. Deepfakes make use of AI to make likenesses, relying on pattern recognition to identify facial appearance, tone and movements.

Some other definitions for a deepfake could refer to artificial or synthetic media, as well as AI-generated media.

 An overview of deepfakes

The invention of the Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) began the trend towards realistic fakes in 2014. GANs consist of two artificial intelligence systems that forge images and detect forgery and allow the AI to develop over time.

Deepfakes can also be created by using a deep-learning computer network called a variational auto-encoder (VAE). VAEs can be trained to encode images in low-dimensional representations of a subject and then decode those representations back into moving images.

The term "deepfake" wasn't coined until 2017, and in 2018 media, almost all of them raised the alarm about fakes and viral videos, with the first deepfake videos featuring Barack Obama and Donald Trump making the rounds across social networks.

But deepfakes also have uses which are getting increasingly relevant for everyday marketers - not just hackers or online trolls who try to spread false information.

What are the effects of deepfakes?

Machine learning AI is a critical part of developing a deepfake. Deepfakes use this technique to identify patterns in the visuals and data.

To make a deepfake video, the developer has to feed these machine learning algorithm with a lot of footage, which then trains the deep neural network to recognize the patterns in tone, facial expressions, and more. Next, it is time to combine these learnings with images.

It's not difficult to create a deepfake, simply existing videos or audio of the person you want to replicate. While it could be difficult at first making a fake, it requires no complicated tools - just basic knowledge of graphic design as well as video editing abilities.

Artful examples of video-based deepfakes

Marketers are at the beginning stage of using deepfakes and other AI technologies to create video content and digital marketing. The following deepfake examples don't necessarily fit in a marketing toolkit just now However, they do demonstrate the capabilities of these AI technologies right now.

 1. Chris Shimojima's "Dolche Big Man" by Chris Shimojima"

The stunning Staff Picked music video from the filmmaker Chris Shimojima takes deepfake technology and flips it over its head, incorporating people from 14 different artists (and 40 other contributions) in a single narrative. The result is a stunning and unexpected blend of technology and human emotion.

 2. David Beckham's multiple languages

Malaria Must Die made use of AI to alter soccer player David Beckham to speak in nine different languages, leveraging fake technology to make a big splash and significantly increase the impact.

 3. Salvador Dali's museum greeting

It took more than 1000 hours of machine learning to allow the Dali Museum to get their version of deep fake Salvador Dali exactly the way they want it. The new technology gives visitors to museums a new perspective and allows them to gain knowledge about art from the artist himself!

Three everyday applications for deepfake video tech

Although some of the applications for deepfakes may be beyond the common marketer's grasp There are many innovative and interesting ways to use the technology of deepfakes in your work.

• Correct sloppy lines within the post If you have any editing expertise, you know the trials and tribulations of cutting together edited audio clips from a informal interview. No matter if your client misspoke or simply didn't answer with the full length of a sentence, using deepfake technology to fill in blanks is an excellent method to keep your post production workflow moving along without the need for reshoots. (Just make sure you get the permission of your subject first and of course!)
   
  
• Customize videos for customers on a large the scale of Marketers can use easy personalization by sending greeting or product videos that include prospect's names or their company names. You only need the names of your prospects and sufficient audio recorded from your camera to use deepfake technology in incorporating it to the video.
   
  
• Localize your videos Deepfake technology introduces an entirely new realm of simple translation. Instead of using subtitles, AI can introduce spoken-language translations or created using an audio file or the initial actor's voice.

New tech, new opportunities

We don't know how the next generation of AI can bring However, it is a fact that deepfakes will not go away. Similar to other AI-powered technology (chatGPT for instance? ) Anyone who is eager to try deepfakes and be open to potential pitfalls will have the ability to succeed in the evolving world of video.