In a horrifying -- yet entertaining -- bend of reality, a YouTuber has created a viral video using deepfake technology that has replaced Forrest Gump's Tom Hanks face with that of John Travolta.
Before Hanks made Forrest Gump (and boxes of chocolates) forever iconic, the titular role was offered to Travolta, who turned it down for the opportunity to shoot Pulp Fiction. Now, with new face-altering technology, it's possible to see what the film could have looked like had he accepted the part.
YouTube channel Shamook specializes in "The best worst deepfakes on the internet." Other videos include Burt Reynolds playing James Bond in Dr. No and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Deepfake is an artificial intelligence human imaging technique that allows users to replace one human face with another in a virtually indistinguishable manner. While it has come under scrutiny for its ability to easily deceive an audience, there's certainly some entertainment value. Deepfake technology has been used to send Robert Downey Jr. Back to the Future and it also allowed John Boyega to take on every role in Cats. However, because this technology has the ability to reshape reality, it has been met with criticism. One of the most compelling arguments inspires abstract discussion about copyright and who, if anyone, owns the rights to these actors' faces.
Despite the backlash, if deepfake technology continues to provide us with more alternate reality gems like Forrest Gump, you can bet these videos and YouTube channels will continue to prosper.