- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
- Hong Kong's New World Development replaces CEO Adrian Cheng
- Swiss central bank cuts rate again amid strong franc worries
- Germany's BASF to focus on 'core units' in major overhaul
- China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
- Stock markets boosted by China hopes, tech rally
AI deepfake Putin film sells big at Cannes
When Russian President Vladimir Putin was unavailable to star in his biopic, Polish director Patryk Vega turned to artificial intelligence.
The groundbreaking film, whose trailer starts with the leader cowering on a floor in diapers, uses a deepfake of the ruler's face transplanted onto the body of a real actor.
"To come extremely close to the dictator, we needed Putin, not an actor with make-up," Vega told AFP at the Cannes Film Festival, where he has been shopping the film to buyers.
"I called Putin and asked him if he wanted to play in my movie... No, that was a joke."
Vega -- a 47-year-old director, who has made several hit Polish films -- used AI to generate just the face, since he lacked enough high-resolution images for a full-body deepfake.
The results are uncanny.
The producers of the film, called simply "Putin", say it has already been sold in 50 countries ahead of its premiere in September.
The film follows the ruler's life over six decades from the age of 10 when he is seen being beaten by his stepfather.
"In the end I show his death. A happy end," said Vega.
The initial idea came to Vega during the first days of Russia's 2022 invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
"First I wanted to do a movie about the Russian mafia. Then I decided to do it about the biggest gangster," he said.
He shrugged off any concerns about reprisals.
"Putin should be afraid of me," he said.
- Tech fears -
Having developed the tech, he wants to share it with others, saying directors can send him footage and he can add crowds, actors and many other elements.
Such ideas are a huge source of concern in Hollywood, where AI threatens to wipe out many jobs, particularly among special effects technicians and extras.
It was a key issue of the months-long strike by actors and writers last year, ending in a hard-fought deal with studios that included promises to pay actors if their AI-generated likenesses are used.
However, many studios already use AI extensively -- for instance, to de-age actors like Harrison Ford in the last "Indiana Jones" -- but are afraid to speak openly about it, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Some uses are harder to vilify.
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media developed an algorithm to scan screenplays for bias, including how often female characters speak and how many LGBTQ characters are included.
YouTube, a key partner for the film industry in promotion and distribution, has been using AI for a decade for things like automated subtitles and copyright protections, and is rapidly expanding the AI tools available to budding filmmakers.
Since April, it has been labelling AI-generated content and is ramping up its detection programmes.
"AI isn't going to take over creation," said YouTube France head Justine Ryst. "It's going to simplify the complex, and make possible the impossible.
"We need to want to be bold and disruptive, but also responsible," she added.
M.Anderson--CPN