If you haven’t seen the latest viral deepfake video of Bill Hader’s face morphing into the likes of Tom Cruise, then take a seat and a few extra minutes to witness this terrifying phenomenon.
The disturbing video (uh…more like psychological manipulation), which was created using face-altering technology from Ctrl Shift Face, features a clip from a 2008 interview on The Late Show with David Letterman.
At first, there is nothing unusual to see; it’s just two men having a simple discussion about nothing in particular.
But then, the conversation turns to a 2008 table read of the movie Tropic Thunder.
“It’s like all these heavyweights, like…you know…Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.,” recalled the awestruck actor.
“And then,” continues Hader, “Tom Cruise walks in.”
Pay attention, folks — this is where things get super uncomfortable and creepy AF.
While mimicking the iconic star’s enthusiasm for his new role as Les Grossman in the film, Hader’s face becomes utterly unrecognizable, yet eerily the same.
In a blink—and only long enough for you to question what kind of mind-blowing bullshit you just witnessed—Bill Hader’s face completely transforms into Tom Cruise.
The bizarre metamorphosis occurs several more times throughout the video, leaving you more and more bewildered each time.
As the interview continues, Hader’s face also takes on the role of Seth Rogen, but the transformation in this instance is so quick and subtle, it’s easy to miss.
Still, the deepfake of Cruise is deceptively authentic, forcing you to question what is real and what is artificial intelligence.
According to CNN, these deepfake videos have the potential “to take the war of disinformation to a whole new level.” In other words, don’t be fooled into believing everything you see and hear online.
Though the government claims to be doing what they can to “combat” deepfakes, some may argue that they are the ones who came up with the idea of artificial intelligence in the first place.
Even so—regardless of who is behind the technology—we, the general public, are now unsuspecting prey for online hackers.
Scared? Good, because you should be.
There is nothing fun about identity theft, stalking or involuntary face-swapping, so why make it easy for dark-web predators to take over your life?
My advice: be careful when posting, commenting or sharing content online. Also, think twice before allowing third-party apps to scan your face or fingerprints as this is the easiest way to take over a person’s identity. And never permit them to “log in to your account” using another password—unless you want them to have access to your personal life and credit information.
Much like Hader’s face in the video, social media is shifting. It is no longer a safe place to share personal data; it is an elusive world of smoke and mirrors that ultimately destroys lives.