Putting Deepfakes on AGT is Brilliant

Metaphysic.ai makes it to the finals in America's Got Talent TV Show

If you Googled “deepfake” a couple of months ago, you would be served up a long list of chilling headlines and warnings about how everyone would be negatively impacted by the technology. The Luddites, the endless warnings were everywhere. It seemed obligatory that every news article had someone from law enforcement warning about the risk of fraud. Except, the fear of the risk always significantly outweighed the actual occurrence of harm.

This hasn’t really subsided. You just need to go back a couple of pages in Google search because the success of the Metaphysic on America’s Got Talent, a popular U.S.-based variety show, is dominating headlines. You can see an entire page of negative stories about deepfakes.

However, the first page of search brings up something very different.

There are still negative headlines. “Twitter is divided,” “Biden speaking five languages shows potential, risks of deepfake tech,” are a couple of top search results. But, how different this results page looks. “Simon Cowell Says Deepfake Act is ‘Best of the Season’ on AGT,” and “Belgian ‘deepfake’ artist reaches final of America’s Got Talent with ‘best act ever,’” shows a distinct change in tone and narrative.

This is Not the First Example

There have been positive stories about deepfake technology. Chris Ume and Metaphysic generally received favorable coverage of the Deep Tom Cruise project. People thought it was amazing, funny, and harmless. More prominent examples were the use in several Star Wars television projects. However, most people consumed the media without knowing the technology behind it. A few people saw news articles or YouTube videos about how the effects were created. But their number was limited.

That is the genius of deepfake technology on America’s Got Talent. It is good television that offers a surprise, humor, and compelling performance. It also puts the technology front and center. Everyone that watches the clip sees the technology in action. The entertainment value includes an explanation of what people are seeing. It is not Hollywood magic, it’s more like a product demonstration with Hollywood flair.

At the top of the newsletter, we have the video from the second appearance on the show. That is the semi-finals. The first appearance drives the point home even more clearly.

Is Technology Bad?

We face this challenge all the time when introducing new technology to the market. Technology is neither good nor bad. Humans are creative. They can employ technology in both good and bad ways.

When a technology first becomes recognized, there is an education deficit around awarenesss of its positive benefits and how real risks might be. As a result, people nearly always fill the vacuum of information with fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The narrative quickly trends negative and that can be hard for startups with limited budgets to overcome.

Cementing a Positive Narrative

The end run around this wall of negativity is to get mass media exposure to your technology featured in a positive light. The 60 Minutes piece that featured deepfake technology provided a more balanced view but still had a lot about the fears and concerns expressed by “security experts.” America’s Got Talent didn’t care about that. They are in the entertainment and wonder business. So, deepfake received a completely positive portrayal.

More people watch AGT than watch 60 Minutes or have read all of those negative articles. In addition to the live television audience and reruns, over a million people viewed the official segment from the semi-finals on YouTube in just three days. Twenty million saw the first appearance after three months.

Deepfake has passed over into the amazement and wonder category from the dark, seedy, and frightening category. All it took was a smiling version of Simon Cowell with a powerful singing voice.

The lesson here should not be lost on other segments of synthetic media. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt loom large over virtual humans, voice clones, and even AI-generated images and text. Everyone in these segments needs to think about crafting their own AGT moment. That will stop the naysayers’ momentum and serve as a catalyst for increased interest and adoption.