The Tom Cruise deep fakes have been a source of fun since they went viral earlier this year. This may be partly because Cruise has been MIA in 2021 outside of a few sightings, filming movies, and rare interviews. It was amazing to see technology give fans the celebrity experience they missed during the pandemic. But the popularity of the Cruise deep fakes has spawned inevitable concerns about the actual technology. After hearing the apprehension, the videos’ creator responded with a unique take.
Deepfake Tom Cruise (aka Mike Fisher) has benefited from posing as the Mission: Impossible star. His TikTok account has amassed over 3 million subscribers with each video raking in millions of views. The channel’s popularity has led to some concerns over the technology’s potential for nefarious uses. Despite the chorus of worry growing, Fisher opened up to NBC’s Today about deep fake’s evolution.
As I find myself the unofficial face of this deep fake movement, it’s important to learn and I’m fascinated by this. This is the bleeding edge of technology.
Given deep fake’s advancement in recent years, they’ve become so believable that viewers can’t tell the difference between the real celebrity and the impersonation. Learning and growing with technology is important to its development. Fisher seemed to understand that. So he wanted to defend the tech that brought him viral fame. In his defense, the TikTok creator said:
I think the technology is morally neutral. As it develops, the positive output will so far outweigh the negative, nefarious uses.
But the deep fake journey isn’t complete yet so there’s no telling where things could spiral quickly. Yesterday’s deep fake isn’t today’s deep fake. At least, Mike Fisher remained optimistic about the technology’s future. That future is bright as the actor spoke on the potential monetization of deep fakes.
How can we use this technology by creating kind of identity rights? Let’s say Tom Cruise gave us the consent for this likeness, where we could move beyond just small parody clips. Everybody gets paid for that intellectual property.
Like any innovative technology, Mike Fisher is looking toward a profitable future. Maybe one day, celebrities and their impersonators will be able to work together in some capacity. Cruise doesn't seem bothered by the TikTok videos. Of course, Fisher would love to work with Tom Cruise as evident by his latest viral video.
@deeptomcruise Why I always travel with a parachute 🪂... @supercarblondie
♬ original sound - Tom
This isn’t the first time deep fake technology has been questioned as Fisher’s partner Chris Umé wanted his work to make fans aware of the trickery associated with deep fakes. So, both men are coming from a good place with their immense success. Hopefully, that goodwill will pay off with a possible Tom Cruise collaboration. As deep fakes continue to advance, maybe more positive contributions will be at the forefront rather than evil intentions that eventually plague social media platforms.
