‘Deep Fake’ via Artificial Intelligence is here ready to take over not only the media and journalism but TV, cinema and especially politics.
This is my conclusion after viewing Thursday afternoon (5 October 2023) at the lovely headquarters of the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival in Gloria a literally shocking lecture-demonstration with an explicit video of “Artificial Intelligence in Publicity: Marrying Volkswagen with Elis Regina.”
The narrator Marco ‘Pernil’ (shank)Giannelli has every right to be proud of his creation of an ad which obviously sold lots of Volkswagens: a smiling and singing Elis Regina and her daughter Maria Rita driving side by side .
The ad to commemorate 70 years of VW in Brazil is indeed sensational except for the fact that the great Elis died 41 years ago and her image driving along the Brazilian highway was re-constructed by Artificial Intelligence.
And as the creator of this modern Frankenstein, the exuberant Giannelli showed us that the project took great pains,human creativity and was done in various steps and details involving a skilled team and the best modern computers, sound systems and experts in Artificial Intelligence
It never was easy to insert a
dead woman´s head onto another driver of an automobile and use a recording she had sung 41 years when she was alive to make it seem like it happened today .
But with Artificial Intelligence everything is possible!
Created by the ad agency AlmapBBDO and produced by Boiler Filme under the direction of Dulicido Caldeira, the video went through a post-production in the USA with an agency specialized in such projects for Hollywood.
All well and good and Mr. Pernil claimed that 95% of Brazilians approved of the project.
I don´t approve of the ad and either does the O Globo newspaper highly articulate Friday columnist Ruth Aquino, former correspondent in London and editor of Rio´s O Dia newspaper.
Ruth wrote (6 July 2023): “I felt a certain disgust. We have to know what we are consuming …products of consumption have a certain regulation to protect our rights…. a recent article in the New York Times warned ´We have to dominate artificial intelligence before it dominates us.”
Which reminded me of another repulsive figure in this lifetime President Trump and his press secretary who insisted in press conferences with ‘relative truth.’
Already we see and read the results with news reports copied from other news reports by reporters who never make a call, visit the scene of a crime or speak with any officials.
Who is next person to be ressucicated is anyone´s guess
But nevertheless one must compliment Senhor Pernil and his ad agency on the Elis-Volks ad.
And thank you the Rio Intl. Film festival (which runs until 15 October) for returning for your 23rd time to this unfortunately dangerous but still fascinating city with your international films and controversial discussions.