The Creators of South Park Wanted to Make a Trump Deepfake, And Ended Up Founding an AI Startup

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have unexpectedly become some of the most interesting players in Hollywood AI. Their company, Deep Voodoo, grew out of an idea for a Donald Trump movie. Back near the end of his first term, they wanted to make a deepfake comedy where the president's face would be "pasted" onto another actor's body—and the character would gradually lose his mind and his clothes. But no studio could deliver the quality they needed.

So Parker and Stone assembled their own team of AI specialists. That's how the startup was born—one that creates deepfakes, visual effects, and de-aging for actors. The company has already raised $20 million in funding.

Deep Voodoo operates on a much bigger scale than a typical indie studio. The startup films actors in its own capture space with nine cameras, collects up to 300,000 images, and builds a separate model for each individual project. Their work includes a Kendrick Lamar video, Super Bowl ad campaigns, and yes, the deepfake of naked Trump that ultimately made it into South Park

The irony is that America's biggest animation troublemakers are trying to be the "good guys": Deep Voodoo requires permission to use actors' likenesses and turns down projects without clear rights.

Stone and Parker also aren't ruling out using AI in South Park itself—to work faster, have more visual options, and "make the show better."

Does South Park need AI?

❤️ — Yes, that would be awesome!
🔥 — No, absolutely not...

@hiaimediaen