China man uses deepfake technology to disguise himself as late father in videos to save frail grandmother from heartbreak
- Family hides death of son from 91-year-old, tells her he is in hospital
- Grandson creates AI videos, imitates father’s voice, eases own grief
A caring grandson in China used artificial intelligence, or AI, deepfake technology in videos to disguise himself as his deceased father so he could comfort his frail grandmother who was unaware her son was dead.
The man, surnamed Sun, from the northeastern province of Liaoning, said his family had been hiding the truth from his grandmother after his father died from a rare cancer six months ago.
The 91-year-old woman has a serious heart problem and they were afraid the news might be too distressing for her.
So they told her that her son was receiving treatment at a prestigious hospital in Beijing, and must stay there because of his condition.
Sun said he had to use AI technology to “resurrect” his father after his grandmother kept asking to see him.
He told her his father was not allowed to bring his mobile phone into the hospital, and pretended he had travelled to Beijing to record a video of him for her.