President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have made a cameo on the last TV show you’d expect them to appear on: RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Only the two leaders didn’t show up willingly or even in reality, but in a bizarre alternate universe created with deepfake technology.
In a video posted to YouTube Thursday, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel warns about the potential threat deepfakes pose to the 2020 election. Providing such an example, Kimmel showcases a video of the two leaders that “might not be authentic.”
Trump’s face can be seen on the body of Rupaul next to a Pence-faced Brooke Lynn Hytes. Draped in stunning attire, the duo receives endless cheers from a crowd full of MAGA adherents–and even Pence’s mother.
Although concerns are regularly raised about deepfakes interfering in the democratic process, no such incident has taken place thus far. The technology has, however, been used to target everyday citizens.
Such concerns led Facebook on Thursday to announce plans for a “Deepfake Detection Challenge.” Alongside other tech companies and academics, Facebook is offering $10 million in grants and rewards to anyone who can develop new techniques to spot fake videos.
READ MORE:
- Facebook is trying to fight deepfakes by making its own deepfakes
- What you need to know about ZAO–the new, viral Chinese deepfake app
- ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ deepfake turns Tom Holland into Tobey Maguire
H/T Mashable