Kanye West gave Kim Kardashian a hologram of her father for her birthday
The DeepFake hologram used AI and was of her late father, Robert Kardashian
Kim Kardashian revealed on Instagram that for her birthday she received a hologram of her late father Robert from husband Kanye West.
The patriarch of the Kardashian clan passed away from esophageal cancer in July 2003 at the age of 59. He was brought back to life virtually using the latest cutting edge DeepFake technology for the unconventional gift.
Some fans have branded the gift as 'creepy' on social media, but it seems to have gone down well with the recipient. "For my birthday, Kanye got me the most thoughtful gift of a lifetime. A special surprise from heaven. A hologram of my dad. It is so lifelike and we watched it over and over, filled with lots so tears and emotion," said Kim about the birthday present.
In order to make the hologram TMZ reported that Kanye "spent a lot of time in the studio poring over old video and audio of Robert to bring the vision to life." That combined with Artificial Intelligence was used to create the final version of the DeepFake, which Kanye was said to have started in September.
Production company Kaleida specialise in creating DeepFake holograms and were responsible for “holographic resurrection” of Robert Kardashian. According to their website, the project was displayed in Tahiti, confirming the that it was unveiled at Kim Kardashian's 40th birthday party.
Kaledida's official site explains, "We use a combination of performance, motion tracking, SFX, VFX and DeepFake technologies to resurrect pop singers, heads of state and historical figures. Our approach is tailored to the particular challenges of each subject."
The company itself specialises in a thin gauze called 'Holonet' on which they project their holograms, which is likely how West was also able to achieve to lifelike depiction of Robert Kardashian.
Kanye personalised the message from the hologram so that it would send Kim Kardashian a birthday message as if it were from Robert Kardashian himself, "Look at you! You're 40 and all grown up. You look beautiful just like when you were a little girl"
In typical Kanye West style the hologram also delivered the message "You married the most, most, most, most genius man in the whole world, Kanye West."
West delivered the memorable gift to his wife during their recent family trip to Marlon Brando's resort in Tahiti. According to sources the gift was presented to the immediate Kardashian family members, Kim, Kris, Khloe, Kourtney and Rob in a dark room where it was unveiled.
Digital holograms are not a new concept however, Kanye's gift was reminiscent of the iconic Tupac Shakur hologram that debuted at Coachella in 2012. Amy Winehouse and Ronald Reagan have also been re-incarnated in digital form for live performances and museum exhibitions.
At the time MTV reported that the productions of Tupac's hologram would have cost around $400,000. DeepFake technology has improved significantly since then, so these manipulations are likely to have become cheaper.