Actor Bruce Willis sold his image rights to an advertising agency specializing in videos manipulated by artificial intelligence known as deepfake.
Away from the cinema at the age of 67, after a diagnosis of aphasia (a neurological disease capable of damaging cognitive abilities), the American actor can, in this way, return to the screens without having to act.
The American company Deepcake, whose founders are of Russian nationality, has already launched an advertisement where the face of Bruce Willis is used to promote the mobile communications plan of a Russian company.
In the manipulated video, two men – one of them the avatar of Bruce Willis – appear tied to a bomb about to explode. The cell phone of one of the characters rings:
“Hey, dad. Do you have a minute?” asks a boy on the other end of the line. “Yes, but not anymore,” replies his father. “I have a geography test. What is the deepest river in America?” “Mississippi,” Bruce Willis replies. That would also be the keyword to deactivate the bomb, which goes off by itself. The brand’s promotion is as follows: “Always in touch with the kids. Sign up for a free family plan,” he says out loud.
In a statement, or guarantor confirmed satisfied as a result, explaining that artificial intelligence was “trained” with recourse to filmages of “Die Hard” and “O Quinto Element”, because the character of this ad is more similar to the actor younger.
“I liked the precision of my character. It is a great opportunity to go back in time”, can be read in the note signed by the actor and published on the Deepcake company website.
“With the advent of modern technology I was able to communicate, work and participate in filming even though I was on another continent. It’s a new and interesting experience,” added the actor.
Known primarily for its use in fake videos circulating on social media, deepfake technology allows one person’s face to be digitally placed on the body of another, synchronizing their movements and even their voice.
Source: TSF
