collider.com: Action movie legend Bruce Willis has just become the first Hollywood actor to sell his rights to the possibility of a "digital twin" to the US firm Deepcake, according to The Telegraph. With the use of deepfake technology, Willis has offered his likeness to be used onscreen for future projects, following his first experience with the digital media manipulation in a commercial for Russian phone service, MegaFon, last year.
12 comments:
I had no idea that Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed with aphasia which is a language disorder. Nor did I know that Willis would be “stepping away” from acting after four decades of films. I am insanely surprised and saddened. But at the same time intrigued to see what happens with the Deepfake technology that is being developed. I know that it was used in Mandalorian as well as other star wars movies, and it is eerily similar to the real actor and I am in awe of this technology. I am excited to work in an industry with the ability to have such technology at the tips of our fingers. This new technology is game changing for not only the film industry, but any industry in the arts. This will change the way that acting, directing, filming and producing a show is made possible and I am so excited to see how it turns out in the future. Having been a big Bruce Willis fan, although I am saddened by the news of his retirement, I am also excited to continue to see his face on the screen with this new technology.
I really think that deep fakes can be a cool concept when it comes to recreating deceased actors, or younger versions of actors for a series that has been running for a long time. Like in the Star Wars universe, they use deep fakes because it has been around so long that some actors have died or aged out of roles. What I don’t really agree with is the fact that people like Bruce Willis are taking up opportunities for newer actors by giving away their deep fake rights. If someone can use the already popular face of Bruce Willis, then why try to build a new basis for a new actor? I just really think this steps away from trying to build back up the industry after COVID-29 and to make new actors famous for the future. If we started selling off famous actors as deep fakes 20 years ago, we wouldn’t have famous actors like Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, or probably even Johnny Depp.
This contract is super interesting and I’d be interested to see what the language in it is. He’s effectively selling the intellectual property of himself. This brings up the question of who gave permission to Star Wars to have Carrie Fisher be in the movie after being deceased. Presumably it was her estate and I assume that they gave permission and received money. So that of course begs the question - can you copyright yourself and if you cannot - why couldn’t someone use your likeness without permission. It’s interesting because this far into the technology, it’s only recreating already living actors whereas in the future you could have a completely fabricated actor that never even existed. This is probably unreasonably expensive at this point so I’m sure it will be a while before that becomes commonplace. This sounds like a great monetary opportunity for Bruce Willis considering it sounds like he would have trouble acting now.
This technology is extremely interesting to see evolve over time. Obviously, the morality or potential drawbacks of such practices as creating entirely virtual deepfakes of a person, potentially long after their death, is an entire debate waiting to be had, but what draws me most is the actual technology that goes into it. When The Mandalorian used deepfake technology for Luke Skywalker's appearance in the finale of Season 2, and even more so when it was used again in the Book of Boba Fett, the most immediate reaction I had was "well that just looks unnatural". It's like when more traditional CGI is messed up; it just draws you out of the world of the show or movie entirely. If that technology can be improved upon over time, then I see no reason why it shouldn't be used, as long as the proper regulations are put into place (which will obviously take some time yet).
I am extremely interested in seeing the way the industry goes with AI and deepfakes especially since James Earl Jones is now signing off the rights for Disney to use his voice in the star wars franchise. I wonder what a broad deal like this looks like since there has been multiple deepfakes before in film, one of the biggest proponents being the Star Wars franchise. I wonder what the process would be in what movies they are put into and to what extent this actors identity in a way can be used. Who will be making those calls and is it in the contract that Bruce Willis can deny projects or is it all to the discretion of the company. I think this will be a new part of the industry that will require some new regulations and will take some time to make completely ethical and make sure it is protecting the identity of the actors. It is definitely cool to see technology move forward and I am excited to see what can come out it.
I do not have a lot of experience with deepfakes, nor much knowledge of them, though I have run into a couple of clips and TikToks that recreate the visages of some famous actors, like Keanu Reeves, to make fun little videos and stuff. I think deepfake has a lot of potential in the future of media, but I think it is also something that can be deeply abused if it ends up in the wrong hands, which is probably the case with most things in the field of technological development. Only tangentially related, but I also just really do not like the word "deepfake." Cannot explain what it is I do not like about it, but I guess it sort of works in the same way many people find the word "moist" distasteful. It just does not tickle my brain in a very nice way and feels kinda nasty.
The whole idea of deepfakes is scary to me, and the fact that people are basically selling away the rights to their own identity, is extra scary. Technology is getting to a point where it’s looking like it will really be taking over our lives in a couple decades. Everything will change because of technology - the economy, systems of government, and especially entertainment. The introduction of deepfakes into entertainment is so dangerous because casting directors are obviously going to want to cast big names over actors no one has heard of, and once these big names (and faces and voices) are available to any director in the world, the number of jobs for new actors will get less and less. And I fear we will start to see a similar pattern in design, with AI art becoming such a topic of conversation and debate. If I was produce, I would rather preserve my legacy and identity, rather than sign it off.
This is a very intriguing concept and honestly, I don't know how I feel about it. This type of deepfake technology that allows a company to use an actor's face and voice is very new. Just a few years ago, technology like this was not just impossible but also completely unfathomable. We as a society don't know how to approach it either physically, legally, or ethically. It is also an entirely new concept to sell your rights to a company like this. We don't know what the ramifications of this could be. With the ever-increasing concern of security, privacy rights, and protecting your data, this concept seems a little scary. This is a completely different type of personal data and we don't know what could happen if it were to fall into the wrong hands. It also brings up the essential question of how do you protect yourself when the data that can be stolen is you?
I feel like something that a lot of people can agree on is that the idea of deepfakes is kind of terrifying. A completely AI generated image is one thing, but an easily made video with audio which is indistinguishable or at least challenging to distinguish from a real one? Really, really scary at least to me. The idea of selling the rights to a deepfake of yourself is interesting - I wonder if a contract like this will become popular with celebrities - especially as they begin to get older and have less interest in filming. Being able to sell the rights to your image and to some degree yourself is a very dystopian idea, one which I’m sure will be explored as we hurtle into the future. Much like any major technological advancement, there are pros and cons to deep fakes, but for some reason this technology seems a little bit like a precipice.
I clicked on this article because I grew up watching Bruce Willis in movies and I have always liked him as an actor. When I learned of his diagnosis of aphasia, I was deeply saddened. What a terrible thing to go through, for anyone, let alone someone who makes their art by reading, memorizing, and speaking through performance. It truly doesn't surprise me that he would consider selling his likeness for this purpose...it's a strange, yet interesting way for his brand to live on. I'm certain there's a bit of ego entwined in the decision, but it's also just so uniquely human. The idea of "living on" even after you're gone has to be very enticing to someone facing the loss of their identity.
I do wonder how this will affect the industry in the long-run. If the practice of celebrities selling off their identity for deepfakes becomes commonplace, will we even need "celebrities" in the future? We can keep all of our beloved A-listers alive forever! It would certainly be cheaper for studios to deepfake Bruce Willis than it would be to pay him his daily rate on set. Then again, I don't think audiences will ever be fully on board with deepfakes as the standard. We're always going to prefer actual human beings to CGI.
This is a very interesting article, to say the least. I suppose it makes sense that if Bruce Willis is retiring from the camera that he would sell "the rights to his likeness", since it would still generate some income. Still, it's probably really weird to see yourself on TV in a scene that you didn't film, right? To each their own. I myself would hate to see myself deepfaked, let alone sell my rights to a deepfake company (but I'm also not a performer, so maybe I'm biased?). Then I wonder about deepfaking in the future. Will it catch on in the film industry? I would imagine not, but it could. I feel like, at a certain point, it might make real celebrities obsolete. At what point will deepfake companies simply be able to make their own characters, without having to base them off of a real person? I don't think deepfaking is the best, but what's going to happen will happen.
I think that this concept is extremely beautiful. Especially for special cases where a performer has passed but a story is incomplete. It allows the fans and storytellers the ability to see the end of the story. I think it is interesting that Willis is allowing this to happen while he is still living. This is new territory. It also seems great that he is able to have some say in the creative process and get compensated for the use of his image. I have a concern that is this practice becomes more common, it can take job opportunities away from those that are emerging in the industry. I also wonder if there are any restrictions on the agreement that was made. If we keep “giving jobs” to performers after they have passed or after they have retired, this can have an effect on the the employment in the industry.
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