A new generation of advanced machine learning has given us impressive technologies like ChatGPT, Nvidia's DLSS game sharpening, and image recognition in Google Photos. There are also deepfakes, which are no less amazing but much more problematic as they can create realistic videos featuring real people that never happened. Rather than shy away from the technology, Chinese mega-firm Tencent has announced a deepfake cloud service. Interested parties can create a digital version of a real person for a few bucks. What could go wrong?
According to Tencent Cloud, the new service needs a little data to start. Customers must upload three minutes of live-action video and 100 spoken sentences to train the model. Then, in as little as 24 hours, a new digital human will be born. The result will be a video of someone saying and doing things they never did. Naturally, Tencent doesn't call this a deepfake, but that's what it is. Tencent cites the possibility that an AI-generated person could host live-streamed infomercials, a popular component of e-commerce in China. Rather than pay a person to host all those streams, a company could just order a new video for each new stream based on the data they've already collected.
The fee for this service is 1,000 Yuan (about $145) for each video. Tencent will offer various video styles, including 3D realistic, 3D semi-realistic, 2D realistic, and 2D cartoon. Digital humans can be generated as full-body models or from the waist up. Tencent Cloud also boasts it can create custom Q&A videos with realistic voice tone and inflection. The service is available in Chinese as well as English.
Deepfakes have proliferated on the internet for several years, sometimes with legitimate uses. However, the technology is perhaps most closely associated with pornography. With enough high-resolution photos, it's possible to digitally alter a performer's face to make them appear to be someone else.
It's a thorny issue. Most sites and services, including Reddit and PornHub, have banned deepfake content. There are also concerns that deepfakes could become so good they are effective for propaganda. One of the only things holding them back is a high barrier to entry—you need some basic programming skills to use the necessary tools. Tencent is tearing down that barrier. It might become a profitable business model but also cause more trouble than it's worth. The Chinese government has sought to regulate deepfake content, but it's unclear how much moderation will occur before Tencent generates new digital humans.