Logan Paul, Winklevoss Twins Invest In Metaphysic—The People Behind Those Tom Cruise Deepfakes - Forbes

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Topline

Metaphysic, an artificial intelligence company founded last year by the same people behind viral deepfake videos of actor Tom Cruise, raised $7.5 million in funding from investors including twin billionaire cryptocurrency moguls Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul, the company said Tuesday.

Key Facts

London-based Metaphysic said in a release Tuesday that the funding round was led by Section 32, a firm founded by Bill Maris, who previously started Alphabet’s venture arm, and Paul and the twins’ Winklevoss Capital venture firm also invested.

Metaphysic launched in June after a viral social media campaign featuring deepfake videos of Cruise produced with artificial intelligence and synthetic media technologies, and the company said these “hyperreal experiences” can be used to connect content creators with their audiences.

Metaphysic said in the release it plans to use the money to bring its artificial intelligence technology to the metaverse, writing it will “focus on pioneering synthetic content creation tools for emergent metaverse worlds that are being built by Facebook and other networks.”

Surprising Fact

The company’s @deeptomcruise TikTok account, which began posting comedic videos of a synthetically produced, younger version of Cruise last February, is one of the most followed on the social media site with 3.3 million followers.

Chief Critic

Though Metaphysic’s technology has largely avoided criticism, some people find the Cruise videos creepy, and deepfake technology has been condemned previously for how it can be used to spread disinformation, including by cybersecurity expert Peter Singer, who warned in 2019, “The technology can be used to make people believe something is real when it is not.”

Crucial Quote

Metaphysic cofounder and CEO Thomas Graham said in the release: “Together, we will build artificial intelligence and data management tools that let creators import their perception of reality into virtual worlds. Forward-thinking investors and content creators understand that the future of the human experience is heading into the digital realm and, in turn, are excited by Metaphysic’s groundbreaking technology.”

Big Number

$3.8 billion. That’s how much each Winklevoss twin is worth, according to Forbes’ estimates, thanks to early investment in Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency exchange company Gemini that the two cofounded in 2014.

Tangent

Paul came in at No. 9 on Forbes’ “Highest-Paid YouTube Stars” list released earlier this month thanks to $18 million in 2021 earnings, buoyed by a $5 million sale of his NFT in February. His brother Jake Paul was Forbes’ second highest-paid Youtuber with $45 million in earnings, $40 million of which came in the boxing ring.