Even though artificial intelligence can be a force for good, it also has its negative applications, such as being used to develop fake videos and images of celebrities for use in Internet ad campaigns. Many celebrities have come out to distance themselves and their public images from these deepfakes. Most recently, Tom Hanks has denounced companies that used deepfakes of him to promote fake online campaigns.
Tom Hanks Speaks Out
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In a public service announcement posted on his Instagram page on August 29, Tom Hanks said, “There are multiple ads over the Internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs.” He further indicated that the advertisements were created fraudulently without his permission.
Hanks continued by explaining that he had nothing to do with the products or the magical treatments, saying, “I have Type 2 diabetes, and I ONLY work with my board-certified doctor regarding my treatment.” In a perfect world, Hanks would not need to issue such a statement, but today, people can fall for any other fake scams out there. This new technology has made it difficult to differentiate what is real and what is not.
AI Deepfakes Have Real Consequences
Some scrupulous players are taking advantage of AI deepfake technology to create fake campaigns to swindle money from innocent people. Government regulators need to move aggressively to pass regulations to prevent these sort of fake campaigns and protect consumers. As with any innovation, it always takes time before government regulations catch up, but this needs to happen now to prevent these fraudulent scams from happening all over the internet.
In recent years, artificial intelligence has evolved to the point where people can be made to look or even sound like others. Tom Hanks is far from the first public figure this has happened to, and many prior incidents have caused significant consequences for those whose appearances or voices were deepfaked. According to a CNN report, a finance worker paid out $25 million to scammers after receiving a video call from a deepfake “CFO.” This story highlights the magnitude of the challenge that developers and regulators face in trying to prevent these types of AI misuse.
The United States Congress is lagging behind these types of innovation by not passing proactive regulations on AI usage. There have also been calls for artificial intelligence developers to implement safety by design measures into their models. These measures would involve developers investing in built-in mechanisms to prevent users from creating deepfakes.
Final Thoughts
Deepfakes pose a huge threat to personal security and privacy while also creating confusion in the technology space. Cybercriminals are now using the innovation as a tool to craft elaborate phishing and identity theft scams. Developers should continue seeking ways to curb their platforms from being used to create these scams and government officials should regulate these platforms before the issue becomes insurmountable. It’s worth keeping an eye out to see how developers and government entities respond to these repeated instances of fake AI-generated ads.
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