When someone who appeared to be the actor Robert Pattinson showed up on TikTok about a month ago, fans couldn't believe it. Some were convinced by the account, while others were skeptical that the person in the videos posted online was the actual "Twilight" and "The Batman" star.
The account is the latest unlikely celebrity profile to show up on the app and cause mass confusion, and experts say it's highly likely that it could be what's known as a deepfake.
A deepfake is synthetic digital content that uses artificial intelligence and visual effects to visually or audibly manipulate a video. From crude face-swap videos made using mobile apps to sophisticated software that can make a person appear to do or say something they never did, deepfake videos are increasingly common online.
Pattinson's representatives did not immediately respond to requests to confirm or deny that the account actually belonged to him. Pattinson doesn't have any public social media accounts — during a 2017 Reddit AMA, he said he's considered joining social media "only in dark moments," and in a 2019 interview joked that he's "too old and boring" for Instagram. He admitted to using a secret Twitter account in 2020, but doesn't use it to post publicly.
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NBC News was unable to reach the account’s owner for comment.
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