Tencent is taking deepfakes to a new level, rolling out deepfakes-as-a-service, and creating virtual humans for $145.
Deepfakes refer to the use of AI to create a virtual recreation of a real person. The technology has raised concerns across the spectrum since deepfakes could be used to wrongly implicate a person, smear their reputation, or mislead people.
Where others see the need for caution, Tencent sees an opportunity to make money. According to The Register, the company is leveraging its cloud-based AI models to sell deepfake creation as a service. The process only requires three minutes of live-action video, as well as 100 spoken sentences. A mere 24 hours later and the customer has a deepfake.
Tencent told the outlet that it “hopes to build an automated ‘AI+ Digital Intelligent Human Factory’ and rely on a self-service one-stop platform for production, sales and service.”
As The Register points out, the company may face regulatory challenges from Beijing. China is notorious for its love/hate relationship with its tech industry. On the one hand, Beijing wants its tech companies to be the best in the world. On the other hand, Beijing often engages in crackdowns on companies and industries that it believes have gained too much power. Given the implication of the technology, deepfakes have already drawn notable scrutiny from Chinese regulators.
Tencent’s plans may never see the light of day. If they do, however, it could help usher in a whole new era of misinformation.
