A video of Taylor Swift has gone viral in China. In it, the star speaks flawless Mandarin as she describes the process of putting together her latest album.
The catch? This Taylor Swift is not quite real – an AI dubbing tool has swapped out her original English speech for Mandarin.
The result is surprisingly realistic, reproducing Swift’s familiar voice in a completely different language, complete with proper Mandarin tones, and visibly correct mouth movements.
The technology comes from Shenzhen-born company HeyGen, now based in Los Angeles. And while the final product is impressive, it’s drawing mixed responses from audiences.
Some were excited about the possibility of dubbing full international TV series. “Quick! Someone translate and dub all of Game of Thrones,” one social media commenter wrote.
Others, though, were worried about what this could mean for fake news. “Because AI simulates the voice and mouth shape, it’s really easy for people to believe it,” another user warned.