How Frank Sinatra was caught singing 20 years after his death
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fans were confused in 2020 when seemingly footage of Frank Sinatra went viral of him singing about hot tubs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The iconic singer died in 1998, so many were wondering how old audio clips of him surfaced, but the audios were actually new. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, they weren’t Frank Sinatra singing at all.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song, titled Hot Tub Christmas, was the product of a new technology known as a “deepfake” that mimicked Sinatra’s iconic voice. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The video came from a San Francisco tech company who used their AI system, known as Jukebox, to generate new songs and vocals that almost sound exactly like real artists. </span></p>
<p><strong>So, what is a deepfake?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deepfakes are realistic video or audio of events that never actually took place and are generated by artificial intelligence.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These videos have been used to trick online users into thinking their favourite celebrities said things they never actually did. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tech has been used to create fake videos of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, which set off alarm bells in national security circles. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deepfakes can also be used to manipulate images, where people’s faces have been added into random events and videos. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Audio deepfakes, like this unusual track of Frank Sinatra’s have received less attention in the media so far. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One audio deepfake that has garnered a lot of criticism is a recreation of the voice of late chef Anthony Bourdain for use in his upcoming documentary. </span></p>
<p><strong>How are deepfakes made?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These audios are created by artificial intelligence ingesting and examining 1.2 million songs, their corresponding lyrics and information, such as artist names, genres and years of release.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Using this data, AI can create new music samples from scratch and make them seem like they came from the original artist. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While some celebrities who have been spoofed in deepfakes have expressed their discomfort and irritation in the new tech, one singer named Holly Herndon believes they are here to stay</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She said, "Vocal deepfakes are here to stay. A balance needs to be found between protecting artists and encouraging people to experiment with a new and exciting technology."</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>
