What makes a lookalike a lookalike?

There have always been #lookalikes. It wasn't unusual for doubles who looked like celebrities to earn a penny at parties and on Hollywood Boulevard, provided that they had some imitative talent and a recognizable costume.

Most celebrities saw this through their fingers, given its impact on their work. They did not really look, sound, or move the same anyway. This kind of body double could even be helpful for stunt work or intimate scenes you don't want to do yourself.

Using #deepfake, however, A.I. lookalikes have an entirely different impact. An unauthorized use of a deepfake lookalike gave Tom Hanks a nasty surprise in a recent ad. Obviously, the brand has a lawsuit on its hands, but the effect of the fuss is already successful, so who really cares about the fine.

The question is what qualifies a lookalike as a lookalike.

This is something we already know from music. What is the maximum number of musical notes that can be copied without it being considered plagiarism?

The level of plagiarism or exploitation has now reached a new level.

What factors contribute to an individual's recognizability, and how can that recognition be exploited and misused? In contrast to plagiarism of a work, plagiarism of an identity is an entirely different matter. Voice cloning and deep fakes are new toys for some and identity theft for others.

We must work on regulations to protect the use of identities and personal brands in A.I.

Hanks already started that journey of AI likeness rights through his collab with Metaphysic.ai , co-founded by the Flemish VHX artist Chris Ume . The company that created #deeptomcruise.

I titled my book Own Your Story, or someone else will, but the same applies to A.I.

Own Your A.I. Or someone else will.

Thanks & credits to Nick De Mey for the pic in the header and the opportunity to talk about this topic at the 'Untamable visual generative AI' roundtable in October.