On the left, the Tom Cruise impersonator Miles Fisher. On the right, a deepfake image of actor Tom cruise. (Video images from De Persgroep Video, courtesy of Chris Ume)
Last week a trio of deepfake videos on TikTok depicting an imitation of Tom Cruise playing golf, falling over, and doing a magic trick went viral. The videos inspired a raft of warnings that a flood of similar videos were about to overwhelm our social media feeds, and no one would ever believe anything they see online again.But just how easy is it to make a viral deepfake TikTok video featuring Tom Cruise?Well, not very.First, you need the world’s best Tom Cruise impersonator. Then you need to hire one of the very few visual effects artists who specialize in deepfake videos. After that, it’s just a matter of training an artificial intelligence-powered neural network for several months, and then spending dozens of hours painstakingly going through each video frame by frame to fix all the errors.
That’s why it’s pretty safe to say we won’t be seeing a glut of high-quality deepfakes on TikTok any time soon, according to Chris Ume, the Belgian visual effects artist and deepfake expert who created the Cruise videos.Ume spoke to VICE News this week after his experiment became a viral sensation. And while the rest of the world was captivated by just how realistic the videos looked,Ume only saw the errors.“Even after all that work, you can still see a few glitches,” he said.In a new video posted on his YouTube channel Friday morning, Ume showcases the process of creating the videos, highlighting the amount of time and effort that went into them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq-kmFCrF5QDeepfakes are videos where one person’s face—usually a celebrity’s — is swapped onto the body of someone else.To do this, deepfake creators like Ume feed a database of images and videos of the target—Tom Cruise, in this case—into a computer running a machine-learning algorithm.That algorithm then tries to create its own versions of these images. In order to ensure the forgeries get better, a separate algorithm runs alongside it and checks if it can detect if the images are fake.The two programs run side by side until the machine-learning algorithm can produce fake images that are good enough to trick the forgery-detecting algorithm.
On the left, the Tom Cruise impersonator Miles Fisher. On the right, a deepfake image of actor Tom cruise. (Video images from De Persgroep Video, courtesy of Chris Ume)
But that was just the first step. Next came the painstaking process of going through each video frame-by-frame to correct errors.“It took me about 24 hours of pure post-production work to fix each of them up. That's how much work I put into these videos,” Ume said.
On the left, the Tom Cruise impersonator Miles Fisher. On the right, a deepfake image of actor Tom cruise. (Video images from De Persgroep Video, courtesy of Chris Ume)
But for all of his technical skill, one of the most important elements for the success of these videos was the presence of Miles Fisher, a well-known Tom Cruise impersonator.“I also want to emphasize that the actor is phenomenal,” Kevin Ume, who manages communications for VFX Chris Ume studio, and is Chris’ brother, told VICE News. “What the actor does in terms of the movements he makes like Tom Cruise, the likeness his face has, his mannerism. It has a lot to do with these videos being as realistic as they are.”Watching Ume’s breakdown video, it’s sometimes hard to tell when you’re watching Fisher and when you’re watching the deepfake version of Tom Cruise.
The @deeptomcruise TikTok account that Ume originally posted the videos to was briefly made private earlier this week, but on Friday the videos were made public again. As of Friday morning they’d racked up over 11 million views, and on other social media platforms, copies of the videos have been shared millions times more.“We just wanted to make sure Tom Cruise didn't feel offended in any way,” Chris said. It’s unclear if Cruise has seen the videos, but days after they became a viral hit, Cruise opened his own verified TikTok account.Ume said the whole project was “just for fun” but added that the coverage of the videos underlines a more serious point about this technology: that people need to be educated about deepfakes, shown exactly how the technology works and how to spot such videos.“We shouldn't do fearmongering. We should try to prepare the world for what's coming,” Ume said.Deepfake technology has been around for years, and from the very beginning, people have warned that it could be used to supercharge disinformation. These threats reached a fever pitch during the U.S. elections last year.So far that hasn’t happened, and based on the amount of work, expertise, and resources needed to create the Cruise videos, it’s clear that not just anyone can create this type of content.“I'm not sure a lot of people can do it at the level I'm doing it right now, especially because I'm a visual effects artist doing deepfakes, and I've been there from the start,” Ume said. “And I don't think a lot of people can do exactly what I'm doing right now.”
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FAQs
To do this, deepfake creators like Ume feed a database of images and videos of the target—Tom Cruise, in this case—into a computer running a machine-learning algorithm. That algorithm then tries to create its own versions of these images.
How are deepfake videos created? ›
Creating a deepfake is a complex process that relies on the use of artificial intelligence algorithms, specifically those focused on deep learning. These algorithms analyze thousands of images and videos to learn how to mimic a person's facial expressions, movements, and voice.
Who is behind DeepTom Cruise? ›
It's convincing, especially considering it isn't really Tom Cruise, but a viral TikTok account created by Miles Fisher that highlights how deepfake technology can demonstrate AI's power to deceive. Today, it is arguably the most popular deepfake on the internet.
Why were deepfakes created? ›
Deepfakes are, more often than not, associated with nefarious motives, including creating misinformation and generating confusion about politically important matters.
Is deepfakes illegal? ›
There's no federal law specifically addressing deepfake p*rnography, although if the images depict a minor, federal child p*rnography laws may apply.
Why are deepfakes bad? ›
Not only has this technology created confusion, skepticism, and the spread of misinformation, deepfakes also pose a threat to privacy and security. With the ability to convincingly impersonate anyone, cybercriminals can orchestrate phishing scams or identity theft operations with alarming precision.
How does Tom Cruise deepfake work? ›
Deepfakes are videos where one person's face—usually a celebrity's — is swapped onto the body of someone else. To do this, deepfake creators like Ume feed a database of images and videos of the target—Tom Cruise, in this case—into a computer running a machine-learning algorithm.
Does Tom Cruise do magic tricks? ›
The franchise's star, Tom Cruise, famously does his own stunts, climbing rock walls and hanging off the side of planes. So, when tasked with a magic trick for the newest film, it checks out that Cruise would learn how to perform sleight of hand himself rather than hiring a hand double.
Has Tom Cruise ever done a voice over? ›
It may be hard to believe that one of the highest-grossing film stars of all time has never participated in an animated film before, but somehow, Cruise has yet to add one to his resume.
Are deepfakes identity theft? ›
By leveraging artificial intelligence, deepfakes enable fraudsters to clone your face, voice, and mannerisms to steal your identity.
Deepfakes utilize sophisticated machine learning algorithms, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), to analyze and synthesize existing visual and audio data.
How are deepfakes detected? ›
Blurring or misalignment: If the edges of images are blurry or visuals are misaligned — for example, where someone's face and neck meet their body — you'll know something is amiss. Inconsistent audio and noise: Deepfake creators usually spend more time on the video images rather than the audio.
How old was Katie when she met Tom Cruise? ›
THAT FIRST PHOTO. A month after Katie Holmes and Chris Klein call off their engagement, the former Dawson's Creek star, then 26, steps out April 27, 2005, in Rome with a new man: Tom Cruise, her childhood crush, who is 16 years her senior.
Was Tom Cruise close to his mother? ›
His special bond with his mother
The last time she was seen with Tom was at the Golden Globe Awards in 2009. The actor's close relationship with his mother and her impact on his life and career cannot be overstated. Mary remained a strong influence on her son until her passing in 2017.
Who plays Deep Tom Cruise? ›
Miles Fisher aka DeepTomCruise has amassed a following on TikTok of 5.2 million people using ai to deepfake as the actor. Along the way he's built a company ...
What technology is used to create deepfakes? ›
The artificial intelligence and deep-learning technology currently used for deepfakes typically involve generative adversarial networks, or GANs, and autoencoders.
How to deepfake faces onto videos? ›
Deepfakes Web is a cloud-based deepfake app that uses AI to seamlessly swap faces in videos. It offers an easy-to-use interface where users simply upload videos of source and target faces, then the app handles training the AI model and rendering the final deepfake video.
