Local Director “Fakes Life” With AI

This piece is part of our ongoing “State of Technology” series, documenting the latest advancements in technology and the New York communities who are embracing them.

“I moved back to Los Angeles. I got this insane new apartment. I got a brand new sports car. And I even hung out with Ryan Gosling.

Kyle Vorbach faked his life with AI. In a viral short film, the Rochester filmmaker used artificial intelligence to create all the images in his social media feed. Over the next month, he travelled, moved across the country, and his career skyrocketed. Or at least, that’s how it looks.

Now, a year later, he reflects on his experience. “At the time, ChatGPT didn’t even exist. That’s how fast these things are moving.”

Kyle’s friends remember his reactions. “Wow, Kyle’s doing some crazy stuff,” recall childhood neighbors Sam and Sarah Carges, who remember discussing Kyle’s posts at the time. Mike Ladouceur, a colleague of Kyle’s, thought “I didn’t realize this guy had money.”

The film, titled How I Faked My Life With AI, played at festivals internationally, including the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival, and the 2023 CogX Festival in London. “I didn’t think they would react so strongly,” Kyle admits.

“It’s a creative game to play,” says musician Terrell Hines, a frequent collaborator of Kyle’s. “To kind of get people to open up their minds to the potentials [of this technology.]” Morgan Treadway Kayser, a relative of Kyle’s featured in the film, sums the film up with a simple, yet profound, question. “How are we spending our time on this planet?”

For Kyle, the success of his film means the world. After a difficult year in his personal life and family, he believed his career was over. Now, he opens to continue his momentum by raising awareness of the dangers of AI.

His most recent project was a book, titled “Pandora’s Code: Decrypting the History, Benefits, and Dangers of AI,” which traces AI from its inception to the current day in what Kyle describes as “an attempt to see where things are going next.”

“My advice to everyone is to question everything,” he insists.

Despite his experiment, his friends still believe in him. “I think he’s going to take over the world,” says friend Alyssa Onofreo, before joking “either that or it’ll kill him.”