Among the more unsettling aspects of our increasingly dour existence, for many, has been the proliferation of content made possible by deepfake technology. But Miles Fisher, best known for being the Tom Cruise deepfake guy, insists the tech behind it all is “morally neutral.”
In a new interview with Today, Fisher—whose viral TikTok clips are made possible by visual effects specialist Chris Umé—reflected on the continued popularity of the @deeptomcruise account. At the time of this writing, the account had amassed more than 3.3 million followers, with the most recent clip arriving earlier this week.
“I think the technology is morally neutral,” Fisher told Today when asked about the “potential threat” of deepfakes like his own around the 3:06 mark in the video up top. “As it develops, the positive output will so far outweigh the negative, nefarious uses.”
Moving forward, per Fisher, the aim (including with the Umé-launched Metaphysic tech company) is to figure out how “identity rights” might work in the future. Using Cruise as an example, Fisher proposed a scenario in which “everyone” could receive compensation. “Let’s say Tom Cruise gave us the consent for this likeness, where we could move beyond just small parody clips,” he said. “Everybody gets paid for that intellectual property.”
To be clear, Cruise isn’t involved with the @deeptomcruise TikTok account. Furthermore, at least according to Today, the Mission: Impossible actor hasn’t asked Fisher and Umé to cease their operation.
Complex has reached out to a rep for Cruise for comment.
Deepfake TC made headlines earlier this year thanks to Justin Bieber, who playfully railed against the actor after seemingly mistaking some of the footage as real.
