{"id":26416,"date":"2023-02-06T13:47:36","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T13:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/?p=26416"},"modified":"2023-02-06T13:47:36","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T13:47:36","slug":"deep-fake-neighbour-wars-itvs-comedy-shows-how-ai-can-transform-popular-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/2023\/02\/06\/deep-fake-neighbour-wars-itvs-comedy-shows-how-ai-can-transform-popular-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep Fake Neighbour Wars: ITV\u2019s comedy shows how AI can transform popular culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

ITVX\u2019s\u00a0Deep Fake Neighbour Wars<\/a>\u00a0is the breakthrough in television\u2019s use of artificial intelligence that experts in the cultural use of deepfakes like myself have been waiting for.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

In this six-part series, celebrities have apparently invaded our everyday lives. Presented as a reality TV show, we meet suburban neighbours in Catford, south London. Idris Elba (handyman\/delivery driver) takes pride in the garden behind his ground-floor flat, until new upstairs tenant Kim Kardashian (bus driver) starts to exercise her right to use the shared space. They recount the story of a dispute that ultimately turns to violence.<\/p>\n

In a second storyline set in Southend, Greta Thunberg (single mum) has adopted the sunny coastal Essex town to escape the cold of northern Sweden, until she confronts neighbours Conor McGregor (florist) and Ariana Grande (scaffolder) \u2013 Christmas decoration fanatics with a permanent display of noisy, flashing reindeer in front of their bungalow. Cue high drama when Thunberg takes justice into her own hands.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a brilliant play on the mockumentary, a genre that brought us film comedy classics such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and Borat (2006, 2020), and TV hits like Parks and Recreation (2006-2015).<\/p>\n

The creative potential of deepfakes<\/h3>\n

Deepfakes sound suspicious just from their name, which tells us immediately that we\u2019re being deceived. Many producers now prefer the term \u201csynthetic media\u201d to avoid this connection.<\/p>\n

The major ethical issue with deepfakes is the idea that they\u2019re trying to trick us \u2013 but this isn\u2019t a problem when they\u2019re used for obvious comedy.<\/p>\n

It may look like Idris Elba is living an alternative reality in Catford, but we laugh because we know clearly that this isn\u2019t the real thing. Deepfakes can twist and rejuvenate pop culture through their playfulness, while also challenging us to consider what we accept as real.<\/p>\n

As philosopher\u00a0Adrienne De Ruiter<\/a>\u00a0explains, \u201cdeepfake technology and deepfakes are morally suspect, but not inherently morally wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year marks a watershed moment for deepfakes. The technology is at a cultural crossroads in which the primary use in its early years \u2013 non-consensual pornography \u2013 is being overshadowed by the technology\u2019s adoption by mainstream popular culture.<\/p>\n

Neighbour Wars follows on from other attempts to use deepfakes in television. In 2020,\u00a0Channel 4\u2019s Alternative Christmas Message<\/a>\u00a0featured Queen Elizabeth II speaking to the nation during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

At that time, broadcast deepfakes were made by colossal visual effects (VFX) companies \u2013 Channel 4\u2019s Christmas message was made by the UK\u2019s\u00a0Framestore<\/a>, which also created the VFX for big movies including\u00a0Doctor Strange<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Fantastic Beasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n