Metaphysic launches to create hyperreal content
June 23, 2021
The creators of the viral @DeepTomCruise account on TikTok- viewed over 70 million times with 1.5 milion followers – announce the launch of Metaphysic, a synthetic media platform that uses deep learning and artificial intelligence to help brands, creators and the entertainment industry create hyperrealistic content without the expense or time required to shoot in-person.
The company, co-founded by Chris Ume, a world-leading synthetic media and AI artist, enables brands, celebrities and creatives to readily produce photorealistic and scalable synthetic video content. The software being developed by Metaphysic will help creators process datasets, mix and remix proprietary and open source AI models and integrate traditional production workflows. The result is a decentralised production process that can generate exponentially more hyperrealistic content without extra time and cost.
“There’s a huge appetite for new forms of expression in video powered by AI, and this is pushing the boundaries of technology and art in fascinating ways. At Metaphysic, we want to further decentralise the production of video content. We’re building AI tools to give brands, influencers and creators limitless possibilities for video creativity and entertainment,” Chris Ume, co-founder at Metaphysic.
A recent whitepaper from Samsung NEXT Ventures, Synthetic Media Landscape, positions the technology as the third evolutionary stage of media, after old media (static / print) and new media that lives online: “[Synthetic media is] the future, via AI & deep learning: synthetic media will democratize media creation and creativity for everyone in ways you can’t imagine.”
“Over the course of the pandemic, demand for synthetic media skyrocketed because in-person production was off-limits. We saw the need for streamlined tools to power a future where AI will help even non-professional creators make amazing photorealistic content in an ethical and scalable way.” said Tom Graham, co-founder and CEO at Metaphysic.
Metaphysic’s @DeepTomCruise demonstrated that hyperreal content can now be indistinguishable from live shots, so that brands, creatives, and production companies increasingly see the benefits of using synthetic media in premium content production.
In addition to creating @DeepTomCruise, the Metaphysic team also used its technology and learning models to create Procter & Gamble’s most recent Gillette throwback ad. During the 2021 NFL Draft, Gillette wanted to recreate the excitement of Deion Sanders’ iconic 1989 draft day drip. Working with Metaphysic, the production team was able to create a synthetic version of the young Sanders exactly as he looked on the night he was drafted. The campaign was a huge success, generating millions of engagements for the brand.
Award winning director and Grammy nominated producer Harv Glazer and his team at Nice Shoes New York chose the Metaphysic team to help them bring their latest spot for Gillette to life: “We are always looking for innovative technology to push the boundaries of our creative possibilities. Working with the Metaphysic team to recreate a young Deion inspired the same nostalgia, hope and awe that defines his place in the American psyche. Best of all, the realism of the technology really elevated the illusion and captured the imagination of our audience.”
Metaphysic is committed to ethical use of its technology, including prohibiting the creation of content where it knows that it is designed to mislead or deceive.
“We recognise this is a nascent technology and its development can have unintended consequences that must be taken seriously. At the core of our product development process, we are confronting issues of ethics and safety both internally and for the industry at large,” said Tom Graham of Metaphysic. “By taking an ethics-first approach to developing the technology we will enable a wider franchise of creators to tell important stories using hyperrealistic, synthetic media that does not cause harm to individuals or society.”