Latest news with #SleepingWithTheEnemy
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
The face isn't real, but her story is: Why W5 used AI on an interview with a rape survivor
'Melanie,' a Canadian woman whose life was shattered by a Facebook message on the weekend of her bridal shower, speaks with W5. Warning: This story contains graphic details and allegations of sexual assault This series is part of an ongoing W5 investigation that has infiltrated a global online network of men who are secretly drugging, raping, filming and sharing the videos of their unsuspecting wives and intimate partners. Watch W5's full documentary, Sleeping with the Enemy, Saturday at 9 p.m. on CTV. In the opening minutes of our documentary, Sleeping With the Enemy, viewers meet 'Melanie,' a Canadian woman whose life was shattered by a Facebook message on the weekend of her bridal shower. Attached was a screengrab of her unconscious body being sexually assaulted. She would soon discover that an ex-boyfriend, someone she had dated as a teenager, had drugged, raped and recorded crimes against her for years, without her knowledge. Those videos, some showing sexual torture, are being traded like currency within an online network of men who secretly rape their wives and girlfriends and then share, trade and sell videos of their abuse with other men. Our investigation reveals this isn't an isolated case, but part of a sprawling, online community where rape and degradation is normalized, organized and commodified. The scale of the abuse is staggering. But how do you tell Melanie's story and those of other survivors we interviewed, when the people most harmed fear being seen? That question led us to the groundbreaking decision to use artificial intelligence to digitally reconstruct the faces of survivors. Not to distort the truth, but to deliver it. Beyond the blur Facial expression invokes empathy and yet survivors of sexual violence are usually shown in silhouette, with their faces blurred or pixilated. Viewers are asked to feel something for people they can't fully see. Our team didn't think that was good enough for Melanie or for the others we interviewed. Using AI, we were able to create new, fictional faces, mapped to their real expressions. Their actual face is never shown, but their digitally altered faces move with their words. Viewers can see emotion. Sadness. Anger. Fear. Defiance. It brings survivors out of the shadows. This technology, often maligned in the era of deepfakes, can be used for more than deception. It can be used for truth. We are transparent with our audience: what you're seeing isn't real. But what they are saying is. How safe is it? The AI-generated faces are built by blending the real face of the survivor with a computer-created synthetic face. The final image does not retain the original features in a way that could be reverse-engineered. You cannot use AI to 'unmask' the survivor, because the real face simply isn't there anymore. We have been completely transparent about our use of the technology, burning the words 'digitally altered face' onto the screen every time their faces appear. We also flagged, in voice-over, that their faces had been digitally altered. AI altered faces of W5 interviewees for 'Sleeping with the Enemy' Clockwise from top left: the AI-altered faces of people W5 spoke with for this investigation include 'Catherine' (stepsister of a convicted rapist from New Brunswick); 'Julie' (the ex-girlfriend of the convicted rapist from New Brunswick); 'Steve' (the husband of 'Melanie' and a medical doctor); and 'Rachel' (the ex-wife of Hamilton Ont. suspect Bryan Hayward) Groundbreaking decision The decision wasn't made lightly. We chose not to use the digitally altered faces in shorter news pieces that were broadcast on CTV National News over the last two weeks. But we believe it was the right technology outside of the news division. This has rarely, if ever, been done before in Canada. There are legitimate concerns in an age where trust in the media is waning. But in the end, the survivors gave us our answer. They feel seen, but not exposed. Their faces aren't real. But their stories are. The trauma is. The network is. And what was taken from these women — their control, their memory, their consent — is finally being reclaimed. More on this story:
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
The face isn't real, but her story is: Why W5 used AI on an interview with a rape survivor
'Melanie,' a Canadian woman whose life was shattered by a Facebook message on the weekend of her bridal shower, speaks with W5. Warning: This story contains graphic details and allegations of sexual assault This series is part of an ongoing W5 investigation that has infiltrated a global online network of men who are secretly drugging, raping, filming and sharing the videos of their unsuspecting wives and intimate partners. Watch W5's full documentary, Sleeping with the Enemy, Saturday at 9 p.m. on CTV. In the opening minutes of our documentary, Sleeping With the Enemy, viewers meet 'Melanie,' a Canadian woman whose life was shattered by a Facebook message on the weekend of her bridal shower. Attached was a screengrab of her unconscious body being sexually assaulted. She would soon discover that an ex-boyfriend, someone she had dated as a teenager, had drugged, raped and recorded crimes against her for years, without her knowledge. Those videos, some showing sexual torture, are being traded like currency within an online network of men who secretly rape their wives and girlfriends and then share, trade and sell videos of their abuse with other men. Our investigation reveals this isn't an isolated case, but part of a sprawling, online community where rape and degradation is normalized, organized and commodified. The scale of the abuse is staggering. But how do you tell Melanie's story and those of other survivors we interviewed, when the people most harmed fear being seen? That question led us to the groundbreaking decision to use artificial intelligence to digitally reconstruct the faces of survivors. Not to distort the truth, but to deliver it. Beyond the blur Facial expression invokes empathy and yet survivors of sexual violence are usually shown in silhouette, with their faces blurred or pixilated. Viewers are asked to feel something for people they can't fully see. Our team didn't think that was good enough for Melanie or for the others we interviewed. Using AI, we were able to create new, fictional faces, mapped to their real expressions. Their actual face is never shown, but their digitally altered faces move with their words. Viewers can see emotion. Sadness. Anger. Fear. Defiance. It brings survivors out of the shadows. This technology, often maligned in the era of deepfakes, can be used for more than deception. It can be used for truth. We are transparent with our audience: what you're seeing isn't real. But what they are saying is. How safe is it? The AI-generated faces are built by blending the real face of the survivor with a computer-created synthetic face. The final image does not retain the original features in a way that could be reverse-engineered. You cannot use AI to 'unmask' the survivor, because the real face simply isn't there anymore. We have been completely transparent about our use of the technology, burning the words 'digitally altered face' onto the screen every time their faces appear. We also flagged, in voice-over, that their faces had been digitally altered. AI altered faces of W5 interviewees for 'Sleeping with the Enemy' Clockwise from top left: the AI-altered faces of people W5 spoke with for this investigation include 'Catherine' (stepsister of a convicted rapist from New Brunswick); 'Julie' (the ex-girlfriend of the convicted rapist from New Brunswick); 'Steve' (the husband of 'Melanie' and a medical doctor); and 'Rachel' (the ex-wife of Hamilton Ont. suspect Bryan Hayward) Groundbreaking decision The decision wasn't made lightly. We chose not to use the digitally altered faces in shorter news pieces that were broadcast on CTV National News over the last two weeks. But we believe it was the right technology outside of the news division. This has rarely, if ever, been done before in Canada. There are legitimate concerns in an age where trust in the media is waning. But in the end, the survivors gave us our answer. They feel seen, but not exposed. Their faces aren't real. But their stories are. The trauma is. The network is. And what was taken from these women — their control, their memory, their consent — is finally being reclaimed. More on this story:
Sunday World
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Patrick Bergin says he tied the knot with ‘the most beautiful woman in the world'
'The spark was ignited that night and I've been hypnotised since' Towering Bergin (74), who shot to fame as a sinister character starring alongside Julia Roberts in the 1991 movie Sleeping With The Enemy, tied the knot with Helen in a low-key wedding before Christmas. 'Helen and I jumped the broom stick just before Christmas,' Patrick tells the Sunday World , referring to their marriage. 'We've been together eight years and we know each other 25. She's so special, one of the most beautiful women in the world…in my eyes the most beautiful.' Then he laughs: 'She's a little wild at times too… just enough.' Patrick with Julia Roberts in Sleeping With The Enemy It's the second marriage for both — Patrick is divorced and Helen's first husband, celebrity hypnotist Paul Goldin, died in 2008 after a short illness. Patrick says: 'I originally met Helen to discuss a script I had called The Eyes, based on the hypnotist Svengali and about an Irish girl in Paris. A friend of mine, Ronan O'Leary, introduced me to Helen and her husband Paul Goldin. I had a lunch with them that Helen cooked, and Paul was very charming. 'Nearly 20 years later I was coming to Dublin and I was meeting with Ronan O'Leary on other projects. He said to Helen, 'Guess who's in town.' And Helen said, 'Give him my number.' 'It was my birthday and I was going to the Olympia to see Keith Barry the hypnotist. I phoned and asked Helen if she would come to see Keith Barry at the Olympia on my birthday. A group of us went to it and we haven't looked back since. The spark was ignited that night and I've been hypnotised since,' he laughs. Patrick Bergin Helen said in the past that the timing was right for her. 'I think it was my destiny,' she explained. 'I'd been on my own for nine years at that stage and it was as if we were meant to be together. We are very comfortable with one another and have great fun together.' Patrick also previously paid tribute to Helen for keeping him on the straight and narrow as he battled his booze addiction several years ago. 'My wonderful partner Helen has helped me every step of the way,' he said. Helen now manages Patrick's career and the couple are involved in several projects together. Patrick Bergin and Helen Goldin got married at Christmas News in 90 Seconds - May 24th 2025 'Helen is very organised, she's great,' he tells me. 'She's got a very good insight into character and projects, into what works and what's good and wholesome.' Another major female in the award-winning actor's life was Julia Roberts. 'I still get asked about her all the time,' Patrick laughs. 'One of my favourite country singers was Merle Haggard. I was in Nashville one time and I got a chance to go and see him. When I went to pick up my ticket the guy in the box office said, 'I believe you'd like to meet Merle?' My agent had mentioned it. 'So I went over to meet him in his trailer and the first thing he said to me was, 'What was Julia Roberts like to work with?' I just never thought that would come out of Merle Haggard,' he laughs. Patrick with Fionnuala Flanagan at the IFTAs in 2007 And what was she like to work with? 'Oh she was great. She was absolutely fantastic,' he says. His home, Emo Castle in Cloughjordan on the border of Tipperary and Offaly, was bought with the proceeds of Sleeping With The Enemy 'and a hundred other films.' 'I was very lucky,' Patrick says. 'If the film you're in makes a lot of money and, of course, Sleeping With The Enemy made a hundred million, your name goes up the list. The higher you go up the list the more money your films make.' Read more The actor, poet, songwriter and singer never stops working and the word retirement is not in his vocabulary, he says. As well as performing on the festival circuit in Ireland this summer, Patrick, who recently won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Festival for a movie called The Captain, has movies and other projects on the go. Patrick with actor Danny Dyer in Eastenders 'We are both working on a project that is extremely dear and important to Helen,' he reveals. 'We are hoping to do a film or a series about Lady Louisa Mount Cashell, who had the first divorce under English law in Ireland in a notorious case during the Victorian era. Helen is the great-granddaughter of Lady Louisa.' Patrick and Helen also have a range of jewellery in production called Cliona's Love Stones, linked to a mythical Irish character in Co Cork. On the live performing scene you can catch Patrick Bergin performing at the King John Summer Prom festival in Trim, Co Meath, which runs from August 8-10. Tickets are available at . Patrick will also be performing at the Lovely Laois Homecoming Festival, from September 5-7.
