Belgian video artist surprises Simon Cowell with a deep fake of himself in ‘America’s got talent’: ‘We’ve found the perfect participant’

You might remember Chris Ohme as the video artist who went viral in early 2021 with a deepfake of Tom Cruise. The same Belgian has now also made a name for himself in “America’s got talent”, making the judges laugh with a live singing performance by Simon Cowell… while the judge looks on.

Ohme and his business partner were still a bit of a mystery when they auditioned for the 17th season of ‘american talents, which started last week, to tell us what their “talent” is. For that they needed the help of Daniel Emmett, the American singer who actually caused a stir on the TV show four years ago.

Only when Emmett begins to sing and jury member Simon Cowell simultaneously appears on the big screen behind him does Oumet’s talent become apparent: the Belgian is known for his deepfakes, a technique in which false video images of a person can be made with the help of artificial intelligence.

While Emmett does his best, Cowell seems to want to dive into the ground, but with the other judges and the audience, the fun trumps. Although Coyle then praises: “Is it inappropriate to fall in love with a participant?” “That’s weird, but I love you, Daniel. I’ve always said there is such a thing as the perfect contestant: a great singer who looks great. Well, we found him today.”

Ohme also received the go-ahead from other judges Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel, so we’ll see him again later this season.