The AI Takedown in Table Tennis — Nope, just a Deepfake
I recently stumbled upon a video on LinkedIn that showcased a seemingly high-tech robot effortlessly besting a human in a game of table tennis. It’s worth to take a look on those 13 seconds.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Vporz9jFgq4
When I first laid my eyes on the video, I was flabbergasted. A sleek blue-and-white robot was effortlessly besting a human in a high-speed game of table tennis. The strokes, the spin, the speed; everyhting was impeccable. For a moment, my belief in human prowess in sports was shattered. I thought to myself, “Are we really heading into an era where robots will surpass human athletes?” The video was not just impressive; it was realistic. In the first moment, i didn’t doubt it’s truth.
The Original Video
Eager to know more, I dove deep into the world of the web. I needed to uncover the company behind this marvel, understand the mechanics, and possibly even get a glimpse of what the future of sports might look like with robots taking center stage.
However, as I sifted through pages and videos, something peculiar caught my eye. Another video, eerily similar in its movements, was on display. But this one had no robots. It featured two humans engrossed in a thrilling table tennis match. The movements, the shots, even the expressions — everything matched the robot video.
Still. What a cool move at the end!
Confusion and intrigue gripped me. Were my eyes deceiving me? Had the robots evolved to mimic human behvior so precisely, or was there some other trickery at play?
The Background Story
I stumbled upon an article by The Associated Press that shed light on my confusion. As it turns out, the viral robot video was not real. It was a digital masterpiece, an AI-powered visual effect that seamlessly replaced one of the human competitors with a computer-generated robot. A platform named Wonder Studio, specializing in inserting computer-generated characters into videos, was behind this marvel.
The original footage was of a match between Slovakian table tennis player Yang Wang and Czech player Pavel Sirucek at the European Championships. The AI tool replaced Wang with a robot, mirroring every single move he made, creating a sensational video that took the internet by storm.
The blue-and-white robot could be traced back to Wonder Studio. The design was a craetion of artist Aaron Sims, and it was available for free on the platform for users to incorporate into their videos. Wonder Dynamics, the parent company of Wonder Studio, confirmed the authenticity of the video. A spokesperson for the company, Josiah Chambers, mentioned in an email to AP, “We can confirm that the video is not real. I think it’s gonna take some time until Robots can move that well.”
The video on Wonder Dynamics’ platform provided insights into how the AI tracked an actor’s movements and replaced them with a CGI character. Although the company stressed the importance of clarifying edited content, it seemed that once a video was out in the wild, it was hard to control its narrative.
It’s worth noting how deepfake technologies, such as this, can easliy sway our beliefs. Just like me, many were convinced by the robot’s prowess, with the video going viral on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter). The narrative became so compelling that it garnered over 65,000 likes on a single X post. But the video is also going viral in various groups on LinkedIn. Additionally, you will find a plethora of YouTube videos as well.
Conclusion
The journey from awe to revelation was an eye-opener for me — even as a person who is really into AI and it’s possibilities. It might sound like a cliché, but for me, it’s truer today than almost any other saying:
In an age where the line between reality and digital illusion is blurring, it’s imperative to stay vigilant.
In conclusion, while we are yet to see robots take on humans in intense sports matches, the realm of digital effects is sprinting ahead, often leaving us in disbelief. My adventure with the table tennis robot video was a reminder: sometimes, even in this digital age, seeing isn’t always believing.
Other interesting articles
It’s clear that AI will massively change the world as we know it; there will be winners and losers, but it won’t completely replace us humans (for now). Also, because there is a skill that makes humans irreplaceable (and it’s not empathy or creativity).
Sometimes it can also be helpful to reflect on the developments of AI from the perspective of philosophy. In this article, I asked six historical philosophers what they think about AI.
