Chinese tech giant sells fake videos
Deepfake is the term given to video material that is not real. It poses a major risk in our modern world. Tencent, a Chinese company, has launched its deepfake service.
Artificial intelligence also has a deepfake area that is causing concern. Deepfake is a term used to describe the production of fake audio, video, or photo materials. It poses serious risks in particular the political field. Tencent, a Chinese tech giant, offers to produce anyone’s deepfake at a low cost.
Fake video production only $145
Tencent Cloud’s subsidiary launched the service last week. It allows users to create a high resolution deepfake of anyone, as long as they have at least three minutes video and 100 sentences of speech. This service costs $145. The waist or the entire body of a desired person can be created in a matter of 24 hours. The service is offered in both Chinese as well as English.
Tencent claims that the artificially intelligent people can be used to host live broadcast advertisements that are extremely popular in China. This means that no real person is required to host. The company claims that the creatures could also be used to become doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.
Deepfake also offers a variety of virtual person styles: semi-realistic, cartoon and realistic styles in 3D, or cartoon and real styles in 2D. The customer can choose the background of the video and the tone of their digital person. Chen Lei said that Tencent Cloud’s Intelligent Human Products General Manager, Chen Lei, aims to create a fully automated platform called “AI + Digital Intelligent Factory” to create and sell fakes.
China is a leader in this field
Meet Ren Xiaorong, the latest AI news anchor at state media outlet People's Daily. Read more about this virtual presenter here: https://t.co/EMepqzgBvS pic.twitter.com/IMxyr17vG0
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) March 12, 2023
China, on the other hand is the leader in the world when it comes to deepfake usage. Ren Xiaorong, a server created by artificial intelligence for the People Daily newspaper, delivers news 24 hours a day all year long. Virtual servers were used at the China Winter Olympics 2022.
Since they were used to replace adult movie actresses’ faces with Hollywood stars, deepfakes have caused controversy. Deepfake videos have been banned by adult content sites and social media platforms, but the content is becoming more realistic. Fraudsters actually create deepfakes using the audio and video collected from a person’s social media, and then demand ransom. It is important to be cautious and verify the sources of any internet content.
