Emma Watson courted fame at a young age thanks to her marquee role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Following her 8-film stint with the franchise, Watson became a bonafide superstar with a big fan following that saw her making leaps and strides in Hollywood with films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Noah, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Women.
Superstardom is not an easy journey though. While celebrities see the big highs, they also are subjected to trolling and manipulation due to the meteoric rise of AI technology. Emma Watson was at the receiving end of one of AI’s latest techniques that left the star humiliated.
Emma Watson Became The Scapegoat For AI’s Deepfake Technology
While technological advancements are the future, they also pose dangerous consequences especially when human emotions are concerned. The current domination and power of Artificial Intelligence has affected not just the common man, but also celebrities and their private lives. Harry Potter star Emma Watson was at the receiving end of one of AI’s biggest scams, the deepfake video, a digitally altered video or image of someone used without their consent usually to spread malicious intent or false information.
A recent face swap advertisement used deepfake technology by putting Emma Watson’s face on an explicit video which features the star in a suggestive pose on her knees, ready to perform a s*xual act. The ad became viral across all social platforms before it was taken down. While Watson is yet to comment on it, journalism student Lauren Barton talked about the dangers of creating such falsehoods.
“I got this ad yesterday and wow what the hell. This could be used with high schoolers in public schools who are bullied. It could ruin somebody’s life. They could get in trouble at their job. And this is extremely easy to do and free”.
Even more disturbing, Barton said, was the fact that the app targeted anyone over 9 years old and was marketed as a game in which they could swap their face with anyone they wanted.
Emma Watson Struggled To Fit In
Before the disturbing consequences of AI technology, Emma Watson faced her share of challenges while trying to fit into Hollywood as a young star. The Harry Potter star spent a large part of her formative years essaying the role of the clever Hermione Granger in the 8-part film series. The young actor in an interview, confessed that while many aspects of the character actually mirrored her own personality, it wasn’t until much later that she was actually able to embrace the role and relate to Hermione fully.
Speaking of the peer pressure that she faced to avoid being nerdy and conform to the typical cool teenage norms, Watson said that she lost her true identity somewhere in between while trying to fit in.
“I watch interviews that I did when the first movie came out and I was so lost! I would think, ‘What do young girls talk about? What do they say?’ ‘I like going shopping and I have a crush on Brad Pitt.’ And I had no idea who Brad Pitt really was. It makes me sad because I see this girl trying so much to fit in.”
As a result, Watson went through a phase where she tried to disassociate herself from Hermione in an attempt to adhere to a certain public image despite having many similarities to her character. Ultimately, over the years and 8 films, the star succeeded in embracing her inner nerd through her wholesome acceptance of Hermione Granger.
Source: NBC news
