--- title: "Simon Cowell Shocked by Deepfake Copy of Himself" description: "English TV presenter and record executive Simon Cowell was shocked to find a performer with his own face singing a tune on \"America's Got Talent.\"" date: "2022-06-09" modified: "2022-06-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/simon-cowell-deepfake" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "deepfakes" - "the digest" --- # Simon Cowell Shocked by Deepfake Copy of Himself ![English TV presenter and record executive Simon Cowell was shocked to find a performer with his own face singing a tune on "America's Got Talent."]() *\Image: NBC\* ## Simon Says English TV personality Simon Cowell, best known as a judge on "American Idol," was shocked to find a performer [with his own face]() singing a musical ballad on a recent episode of "America's Got Talent." The performance was put on by a company called Metaphysic Media, which created a deepfake of Cowell's face and overlaid it on "America's Got Talent" veteran and opera singer Daniel Emmet live on a massive screen on stage. "When they asked me to be a part of this wonderful, unique, original thing they're going to do, I couldn't say no," Emmet explained in the episode. It may not be the most realistic-looking of deepfakes we've seen, but rendering it on the fly during a broadcast is pretty impressive — and Cowell himself certainly seemed dazzled, covering his face with his hands in apparent shock and wonder. https://youtu.be/mPU0WNUzsBo ## You're the Inspiration Emmet sang a rather over-the-top rendition of "You're the Inspiration," a ballad from the hit Broadway musical "Chicago" — except on the screen behind him on stage, it looked like Cowell was singing instead. Cowell composed himself after the performance. "Is it inappropriate to fall in love with a contestant?" he joked. "I know it's strange but I love you Daniel." It's a fun use of the technology that shows off the potential of applying deepfakes to the world of entertainment — without any nefarious intentions behind it. At the same time, not all public figures will enjoy having their face figuratively ripped off during a national broadcast. "I've always said, is there such a thing as a perfect contestant, a great singer, who looks incredible," Cowell quipped. "We just found them." **READ MORE:** [Simon Cowell falls in love with the 'perfect contest' on 'AGT']() \[*Yahoo Entertainment*\] **More on deepfakes:** *[Cops Are Now Deepfaking Murder Victims To Catch Their Killers]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()