Wombo

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This article is about the Canadian mobile app. For the band, see Wombo (band).
WOMBO
Other namesWOMBO.ai
W.ai
WOMBO.I
Developer(s)Akshat Jagga, Angad Arneja, Ben-Zion Benkhin, Paul Pavel, Parshant Loungani, Vivek Bhakta
Initial releaseFebruary 2021; 3 years ago (2021-02)
Operating systemAndroid, iOS
TypeDeepfake
Websitewombo.ai
w.ai

Wombo (stylized as WOMBO) is a Canadian image manipulation mobile app released in 2021 that uses a provided selfie to create a deepfake of a person lip-synced to a variety of songs.

Features[edit]

WOMBO allows users to take a new or existing selfie and then select a song from a curated list to create a video that artificially moves the selfie's head and lips in synchrony with the song.[1][2] The app works for any and all images that resemble a face,[3] although it works best for three-dimensional characters where they are looking at the camera straight on.[4] These songs are usually related to internet memes, and included "Witch Doctor" and "Never Gonna Give You Up".[1] The head movements created are from existing choreography recorded by a performer who produces specific eye, face and head movements for each song,[3] and are mapped onto the inputted image through artificial intelligence being used to tag the parts of a human face.[4] All outputted videos include a large, obvious watermark, and aim not to look too much like the video is real.

The app includes a premium tier, which gives users priority processing time and no in-app ads.[1]

Wombo processes images in the cloud, unlike earlier apps such as FaceApp.[2] CEO Ben-Zion Benkhin says that all user data is deleted after 24 hours.[5]

Development[edit]

Wombo was developed in Canada and launched in February 2021[1] after a beta period in January.[6] Wombo CEO Ben-Zion Benkhin says he got the idea for the app in August 2020.[1] The name of the app comes from the slang term "wombo combo" from console game Super Smash Bros. Melee.[1] The app is available on both the App Store and Google Play Store.[7]

Reception[edit]

Within its first three weeks of release, the app was downloaded over 20 million times,[5] and over 100 million clips were created using the app.[2] The sudden boom in deepfake technology has been described as "a cultural tipping point we aren't ready for",[2] as it is now possible to create a deepfake from any picture off social media in a very short amount of time.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Vincent, James (11 March 2021). "Lip-syncing app Wombo shows the messy, meme-laden potential of deepfakes". The Verge. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Fowler, Geoffrey A. (25 March 2021). "Anyone with an iPhone can now make deepfakes. We aren't ready for what happens next". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Move over, Deep Nostalgia, this AI app can make Kim Jong-un sing I Will Survive". The Guardian. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b Griffin, Andrew (11 March 2021). "What the 'deepfake singing' app everyone is using is really doing with your photos". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b Williams, Jennifer (26 March 2021). "App allows users to make deepfake videos of friends or celebrities". FOX 5 NY. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  6. ^ Asarch, Steven (2021-03-12). "Wombo.ai lets users make silly deepfake videos of their friends or celebrities singing songs". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  7. ^ Diaz, Ana (10 March 2021). "The Wombo app turns your favorite character into a karaoke star". Polygon. Retrieved 21 April 2021.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wombo&oldid=1219136869"