YouTube Intends to Aid Celebrity Figures in Locating Videos Utilizing Their Likeness in AI-Generated Deepfakes
YouTube is aiming to assist renowned figures and professional athletes in keeping tabs on unauthorized uses of their likenesses, produced by AI. According to them, they're teaming up with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and will kickstart testing of "likeness management technology" in early 2023. This technology is capable of detecting AI-generated content that resembles a celebrity's appearance and provides a straightforward method for requesting removal.
Just a few years back, a deepfake of Tom Cruise gained notoriety on TikTok, necessitating extensive manual editing. The progress in this field is remarkable, thanks to the growth of generative AI. Now, numerous instances exist of personalities like Joe Rogan being manipulated with deepfakes to advertise products or services without their knowledge. Deepfakes are also being utilized in other unsavory ways—a recent study indicated that one in six Congresswomen have fallen victim to AI-generated explicit deepfakes.
YouTube currently possesses advanced technology that recognizes and flags copyrighted material uploaded without permission, known as Content ID. This technology played a significant role in appeasing the entertainment industry. When a user uploads copyrighted content without permission, like a music video, the copyright holder is alerted, giving them the option to remove the video or monetize it with ads.
CAA is an excellent choice for implementing this new likeness management technology, as they already scan and store their clients' digital likenesses, including faces, bodies, and voices. In the summer, SAG-AFTRA, the leading actors union in Hollywood, reached an agreement that would allow actors to sell the rights to reproduce their voices for advertisements.
There are, naturally, a multitude of opinions regarding celebrities and other famous individuals selling the rights to digitally replicate themselves. Maybe, in the not-so-distant future, it will resemble the recent trend of musicians selling their entire music catalogs for vast sums of money—sometimes up to hundreds of millions of dollars. If a famous actor like Tom Cruise could secure a substantial amount of money to license his likeness for future Top Gun movies once he is past his prime, it might not be such a bad deal, given they are ready to relinquish control and a portion of their essence.
In the future, this advanced likeness management technology could extend beyond celebrities, potentially affecting regular individuals as well, making it crucial for tech companies to continually improve their capabilities in AI-generated content detection. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence in the tech industry, it's not far-fetched to imagine that soon, we might see AI-driven art galleries showcasing AI-generated pieces, further blurring the lines between human creativity and digital art.
