Viral Robert Pattinson deepfake is taking over TikTok
TikTok: iam_pattinsonAn account featuring what appears to be a Robert Pattinson deepfake is going viral on TikTok, garnering millions of views thanks to just how convincing it is.
There have been a fair few celebrity impersonation accounts that have gone viral on TikTok in the past, with the platform even mistakenly verifying some of them because their accounts were so convincing.
But some people take their impersonations to the next level with ‘deepfakes’ which are a form of synthetic media in which a person in a video is replaced with someone else’s likeness.
Parody account ‘deeptomcruise’ is one example, who’s garnered over 3 million followers thanks to his uncanny recreation of actor Tom Cruise.
The latest account to go viral is ‘iam_pattinson,’ which includes several videos of a figure resembling actor Robert Pattinson, who is currently best known for his portrayal of Batman.
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In his first video, which now has over 20 million views, the impersonator leans into the camera and gives a little wave, with the caption reading, “hi there!”
Although the figure bears an uncanny resemblance to Pattinson, viewers immediately smelled a rat. “I know my man’s hair and that’s not it,” one comment with nearly 160,000 likes read. “That’s Pobert Rattinson,” said another.
While some were convinced that the account could actually be the real deal, others are becoming increasingly confident that he’s a deepfake as he uploads more viral videos to the app.
“It’s 100% a deepfake but I love it all the same,” said one comment with over 40,000 likes, another saying, “Guys cmon it ain’t real, it’s a deepfake. Look at the hair that ain’t his hair.”
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‘Iam_pattinson’ has gained over 5 million likes since starting his account, and now has over 650,000 followers.
Although many were impressed by the similarity to the actual actor, several commenters agreed with the sentiment that “it’s honestly terrifying that people can do this with CGI.”
In 2020, a report from University College London claimed that deepfakes are the most dangerous use of artificial intelligence in terms of potential applications for crime.
It looks like the Robert Pattinson deepfake is only set to garner more attention as it continues to go viral on TikTok, but with the rise of deepfakes on the app, people may be second-guessing whether a video of their favorite celeb is really them at all.