A Deepfake Tom Cruise Pops Up On TikTok

Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : August 10, 2021

TikTok has been the source of entertaining videos and new trends for quite a while. The tech giant has a variety of content for all manner of people across the age span. While there is no limit to the entertaining world that users have crafted, a recent set of videos has wowed netizens. 

Tom Cruise, who is famous for his action-packed movie- Mission Impossible, is seen in a number of videos released on TikTok. While it is not uncommon to see videos of celebrities on this particular social media platform, what truly grabs one’s attention is the fact that the videos showcase a Deepfake Tom Cruise.

A deepfake involves artificial intelligence that uses a blend of deep learning and fake content. Deepfake content involves the use of a person’s likeness or features instead of someone else in a video. The effect that is created is highly deceptive and seemingly realistic. Artificial intelligence cleverly manipulates audio and video in order to generate deepfake content. 

A Deepfake Tom Cruise Pops Up On TikTok

The Tom Cruise deepfake videos showcased the actor partaking in things that were a little unusual for him. The videos portrayed the actor doing a variety of things from a coin trick to biting onto a lollipop. One video involved the Tom Cruise deepfake growling while Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me” played in the background. 

A Deepfake Tom Cruise Pops Up On TikTok

A total of 10 of these entertaining videos emerged on TikTok. The highly sensationalized videos emerged during the months of February till June. The videos were made by an Artificial Intelligence specialist Chris Umé who used a Tom Cruise look-alike as the subject of the videos. Umé has cleverly incorporated the hairstyle, eye-squint, and even the signature Tom Cruise laughter. 

The videos gained almost instantaneous fame and popularity among TikTok users so much so that it inspired the deepfake creator Chris Umé to take his skills one step further. Umé collaborated with others and launched his own company Metaphysic in June.

Metaphysics uses the same technology to revive old movies and films. It also serves to create advertisements that were previously impossible to carry out. The company’s recent clients include Gillette and the Belgian Football Association. The Gillette ad promotes its razors by portraying a young Deion Sanders showing off his 1989 draft day look. Metaphysic also seemed to bring back to life two of the team managers of the Belgium Football Association who had passed away. 

While this artificial intelligence technology has opened a gateway of new possibilities for the media world, experts worry about the potentially unethical uses that may emerge. Deepfake videos first became a novelty in 2017 and from its very inception the artificial intelligence technology has been used unethically and for malicious purposes. 

Deepfake technology has resulted in the creation of pornographic videos that feature celebrities’ faces without gaining consent. Lawmakers and experts have expressed their concern over the technology’s role in potentially misleading the public. In the world of social media as well, the dangers of this deceptive technology are also apparent. For instance, the use of the voice of late chef and television star Anthony Bourdain has been met with much disapproval. 

However, Umé and his colleagues at Metaphysics maintain their stance that the benefits of deepfake technology outweigh the potential evils that can be caused by it. The pioneers of the Metaphysic company are adamant that this artificial intelligence could open doors for content creation. 

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They believe that it will help reinvent the way we make movies, ads, and other media by accomplishing things that were previously only possible in theory. They explain that the tech world can achieve this by creating videos portraying their subjects as younger versions of themselves or making commercials using famous people without having to actually bring them on set. 

One of the co-founders of Metaphysic Tom Graham, an entrepreneur in technology explains that the world of technology has made e anymore of advances regardless of public opinion or setbacks due to unethical behavior. Graham stated that his goal and the company’s goal is to improve and work on the software to ensure that it cannot be used with malicious intent. Umé elaborated on his vision for the product explaining that it would exponentially increase creativity and freedom in media. 


Nikki Attkisson

With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.

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