Woah, this is absolutely sick! 10 years ago me would have been surprised something so small can encode all the world knowledge necessary to make this plausible. That they'd make this openly available is a dream.
Would make economic sense for a ton more of "Choose your own Adventure" content
I can imagine watching Bandersnatch and getting rid of the game developer in frame 1. The remaining 90 minutes, his dad having a quiet, stress-free Tuesday.
Really weird comments here. It's a VFX technique for cinematography, one of many of that kind (e.g. supporting wire removal). Cinematography in general is about showing something that doesn't exist, unless it's a documentary. Your only reaction is apparently calling censorship. Says a lot about the current Overton window and I think it's something you should reflect on.
No, I get it, and the benefits of putting what would have required a professional VFX team at (eventually) the fingertips of every amateur filmmaker are amazing.
It’s also alarming what’s possible when reassembling photons en masse becomes commoditized.
The act of editing existing footage to mask reality with non-reality is just that—the action of making something real less real. It can be used for filmmaking (and obviously often is), but it can be used for anything else too.
The issue is how easily these tools can (and will) enable the worst faith actors and actions. It's not controversial (or shocking) to think the current situation for deep-fakes or deceptive edits is historically awful. It's equally reasonable to think these tools are going to do less good for VFX houses in Hollywood, and more evil in authoritarian regimes or chaotic social media networks. You're right that the Overton window has moved—but we ought to blame a White House that disseminates deepfakes, not commenters on HackerNews.
Tools aren't just tools, nothing exists in a vacuum. A plane is a useful means of transportation, but that doesn't mean everyone should be rushing into the cockpit. It's pretty plain to me how a tool that streamlines doctoring footage to such a useful (and deceptive) degree is just a recipe for disaster. Considering the benefit to society is...slightly eased CGI work (?), I'll easily label this a net-negative for us all.
To be honest, if that's what we see in open access, then there must already be something in existence that is closed. I don't want to create another conspiracy theory - I just want to point out the theoretical possibility - but if it was created, it has probably already been tested and possibly even used widely. So, in conclusion, if a government or agency wanted to use that technique for censorship, they would most likely already have tried it.
It's kind of late to ring the bells once the city walls have been taken. In other (shorter) words, if someone wanted to use this for censorship, they would already have tried it, so... it's either too late or too early; although being interesting (but not good or fun) probability, it's probability only.
...I hope one day everyone, just everyone will finally learn that most of the technologies are not evil or good, they're neutral, they're just tools. And most (no, not all) of them were also created with good intentions.
You don't really need AI to do this, it can be done just fine with traditional techniques, just labor intensive. Hell you can probably find a dude on fiverr to do it right now for a couple hundred, YMMV.
Netflix:
13 Reasons Why: Following concerns from mental health professionals, Netflix edited the first-season finale in 2019 to remove a graphic scene depicting the main character’s suicide.
Back to the Future Part II: In May 2020, it was discovered that a scene involving an adult magazine cover was censored in certain regions. Netflix stated they had received an edited foreign version from the studio and later restored the original scene.
Bird Box: Following public outcry in 2018, Netflix agreed to remove footage from the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster used in the film's scenes, as it was deemed insensitive.
The Devil Next Door: In 2019, Netflix added extra text to a map in this documentary series after complaints from the Polish Prime Minister regarding the portrayal of Nazi death camps.
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj: An episode critical of the Saudi Arabian government was removed in Saudi Arabia in 2019 after a government takedown request.
Removing film crew, boom mics, and missed props from a scene would surely be useful to studios. It may even enable some shots that previously would have been impossible due to the positioning of cameras, etc.
I can see this being one of many AI tools for video editors. Combined with a handful of other tricks an SFX shop should have a tremendously higher productivity.
I can imagine watching Bandersnatch and getting rid of the game developer in frame 1. The remaining 90 minutes, his dad having a quiet, stress-free Tuesday.
Enjoying 5 seasons of chemistry lessons
It’s also alarming what’s possible when reassembling photons en masse becomes commoditized.
The issue is how easily these tools can (and will) enable the worst faith actors and actions. It's not controversial (or shocking) to think the current situation for deep-fakes or deceptive edits is historically awful. It's equally reasonable to think these tools are going to do less good for VFX houses in Hollywood, and more evil in authoritarian regimes or chaotic social media networks. You're right that the Overton window has moved—but we ought to blame a White House that disseminates deepfakes, not commenters on HackerNews.
Tools aren't just tools, nothing exists in a vacuum. A plane is a useful means of transportation, but that doesn't mean everyone should be rushing into the cockpit. It's pretty plain to me how a tool that streamlines doctoring footage to such a useful (and deceptive) degree is just a recipe for disaster. Considering the benefit to society is...slightly eased CGI work (?), I'll easily label this a net-negative for us all.
It's kind of late to ring the bells once the city walls have been taken. In other (shorter) words, if someone wanted to use this for censorship, they would already have tried it, so... it's either too late or too early; although being interesting (but not good or fun) probability, it's probability only.
...I hope one day everyone, just everyone will finally learn that most of the technologies are not evil or good, they're neutral, they're just tools. And most (no, not all) of them were also created with good intentions.
I guess I have seen more AI generated spam ads than content created for the intended purpose.
Presumably Netflix wants to erase smoking from its back catalog or some other bit of papier-mâché Stalinism.
Oh well, neat bit of auto-regressive theater.
VPN sometime if you have doubts about that in western media, including US
I see this being used in many countries, especially in the West.
We've crashed head straight into a dystopian future. But worry not! The crash can be edited out of reality.
Netflix: 13 Reasons Why: Following concerns from mental health professionals, Netflix edited the first-season finale in 2019 to remove a graphic scene depicting the main character’s suicide. Back to the Future Part II: In May 2020, it was discovered that a scene involving an adult magazine cover was censored in certain regions. Netflix stated they had received an edited foreign version from the studio and later restored the original scene. Bird Box: Following public outcry in 2018, Netflix agreed to remove footage from the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster used in the film's scenes, as it was deemed insensitive. The Devil Next Door: In 2019, Netflix added extra text to a map in this documentary series after complaints from the Polish Prime Minister regarding the portrayal of Nazi death camps. Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj: An episode critical of the Saudi Arabian government was removed in Saudi Arabia in 2019 after a government takedown request.