Bruce Willis

Retired actor Bruce Willis had a "digital twin" made so that his likeness could be inserted into a new project using deepfake tech.

“Our general mission is to help celebrities monetize their digital copies while being fully in control of their use and managing the rights.” Some oppose this practice, arguing that the deepfaked celebs will be taking jobs away from other actors, including ones trying to break into the industry. To create them, DeepCake first trained an AI on Willis’ likeness using 34,000 images from when he was in his 30s and early 40s. [estimated $1-2 million](https://www.pcmag.com/news/bruce-willis-deepfake-to-star-in-russian-tv-ads) for agreeing to have his “digital twin” appear in the ad series and seemed pleased with how the project turned out. “Our general mission is to help celebrities monetize their digital copies while being fully in control of their use and managing the rights.”Maria Chmir [DeepCake](https://deepcake.io/) permission to use [deepfake](https://www.freethink.com/science/what-is-a-deepfake) tech to insert his likeness into a series of advertisements — and the AI they trained for the project could allow him to keep entertaining fans well into the future.

One of the most talked about stories this past week was that actor Bruce Willis had sold the rights to his digital likeness to a deepfake company called ...

The news came six months after Willis’ retirement from acting following his diagnosis of aphasia. [The BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63106024) reports that a spokesperson for Willis has denied that he has any kind of partnership or agreement with the company. [The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/09/28/deepfake-tech-allows-bruce-willis-return-screen-without-ever/), would allow the use of a ‘digital twin’ of Willis to be used in future screen projects.

As deepfake technology evolves, rumors circulate of actors selling the rights to their image. Is this actually happening or is it just fear mongering?

While nowhere near the sophistication of current technology, the field of "computer vision" has been around since the 1990s. The neural network was trained on content of Die Hard and Fifth Element, so my character is similar to the images of that time." The controversy surrounding this event highlights some of the challenges associated with the recent emergence and development of deepfake technology. [progress of deepfakes](https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/deepfakes-are-bad-but-what-are-some-of-the-possible-advantages), it seems that their use at least till now has been reserved for entertainment purposes. Last year, Willis did work with Deepcake to create an advert for Megafon, a Russian telecoms company, which is where the rumors began. The news comes about after several media outlets reported that Willis had agreed to have his image used in deepfake videos.

There's been a new development in the alleged sale of the rights to Bruce Willis' likeness.

And over the past several months, one of the sweetest Willis stories has come from [Joseph Gordon Levitt, who recalled a compliment](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/joseph-gordon-levitt-recalls-a-bruce-willis-compliment-that-hes-never-forgotten) he received from his Looper co-star. Additionally, [Heming has been candid about her struggles](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/bruce-willis-wife-emma-speaks-up-about-struggling-with-caring-for-her-family-and-how-its-taken-a-toll) with caring for Willis and how it’s “taken a toll” on her. [Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta were among those to react](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/sylvester-stallone-john-travolta-and-more-react-to-bruce-willis-retirement-announcement), and they shared some truly sweet sentiments. Let’s hope that if something does come to fruition, it would handle the man’s legacy with a level of respect. Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bruce-willis-digital-twin-aphasia-diagnosis-190942056.html) and other news outlets and in it, asserted that the star “has no partnership or agreement” with the company. Despite this, it’s yet to be confirmed whether or not the star ever wanted to make a long-term deal for his likeness in the first place. Still, I’d imagine that after seeing the clip, some fans might be down to see a recreation of the Hollywood vet on their screens. In 2021, the corporation proved the sophistication of its tech when it recreated the actor for a Russian commercial. At the time the news broke, an alleged statement from Willis was shared, and he seemed to be quoted as saying that he liked the “precision” with which his likeness was recreated. At the time, the star’s fans seemed saddened to hear of his personal issues and professional decision though, a report from the past week seemed to indicate that his likeness would live on in future productions. We may want to pump the brakes on all of that though, as it seems that such a deal hasn’t exactly been struck at this point. The initial report claimed that Bruce Willis had made an agreement with a company known as Deepcake.

A representative for the 67-year-old former actor – forced into retirement after his aphasia diagnosis – told The Hollywood Reporter he has “no partnership or ...