Keanu Reeves calls deepfake technology “scary”

Last Updated on February 23, 2023

Although forms of deepfake have been around for decades now, it is still really in its infancy. As it evolves, some consider it a natural progression of modern technology, while others are highly skeptical of its use. One individual who falls into that latter camp is Keanu Reeves, who most certainly does not consider deepfake technology excellent.

In a new interview with Wired, Keanu Reeves said of the technology, “What’s frustrating about that is you lose your agency. When you give a performance in a film, you know you’re going to be edited, but you’re participating in that. If you go into deepfake land, it has none of your points of view. That’s scary.”

Keanu Reeves knows a thing or two about how technology can be used and misused. While he apparently has a contractual clause forbidding digital manipulation of his likeness without his consent, he has experienced instances where he felt it could potentially threaten his career. “Early on, in the early 2000s, or it might have been the ’90s, I had a performance changed…They added a tear to my face, and I was just like, ‘Huh?!’ It was like, I don’t even have to be here.”

Keanu Reeves also pondered where such advancements in technology will go–not just in the movies, but beyond. “It’s going to be interesting to see how humans deal with these technologies. They’re having such cultural, sociological impacts, and the species is being studied. There’s so much ‘data’ on behaviors now. Technologies are finding places in our education, in our medicine, in our entertainment, in our politics, and how we war and how we work.”

Where deepfake technology will go is anyone’s guess, but it has already proven to be a controversial and potentially dangerous form, depending on the hands it’s in. One fairly recent example came when the filmmakers behind Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain used it to recreate Bourdain’s voice. Other major players are getting involved, too, as South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are investing heavily in deepfake’s future.

What do you think of deepfake? Is the technology “scary” like Keanu Reeves says? Let us know in the comments section below.