Faking It: Deep Concern Over MrBeast, Tom Hanks "Deepfake" Ads
Hello, people of LinkedIn. You know how some words just go together perfectly?
Peanut butter and jelly.
Bride and groom.
Cream and sugar.
Or, how about CYBER and FRIDAY?
You guessed it. Welcome back to your weekend newsletter that just wouldn't hit the same if I posted it on a Tuesday or a Sunday.
Today, let's talk about "deepfakes."
What's a deepfake, you ask? It's an AI-synthesized image, video, or audio recording that can be used to create fake scenarios, oftentimes distastefully using someone's image and likeness.
And even more often, they are engineered attempts to scam you.
Check it out:
Who is this person?
How about this person?
If you said YouTube star MrBeast or Oscar-winner Tom Hanks, you're wrong.
The above images are deepfakes of MrBeast and Tom Hanks, respectively.
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So, lately, there have been quite a few victims of this deepfake scam movement. MrBeast's deepfake made its way across social media platforms in the form of a video where users were prompted to click a link and pay just $2 for a brand new iPhone 15. Similarly, Tom Hanks warned his Instagram followers of a fake dental plan advertisement that he has nothing to do with.
Now, if you watch these videos, you might notice some strange anomalies about the celebrities depicted. For instance, a gesture might be slightly off, or a mouth movement might look a little too stiff, or even the pronunciation of some words might just sound weird.
But, to unassuming people, these deepfakes could be deceptive enough to scam them. And the kicker? They're getting more advanced thanks to the recent advancements in AI. Without a doubt, deepfakes are even more of a threat as a result of the AI boom, but they have been around in the form of "synthetic media" since the 1990s for entertainment purposes.
The concern is not hard to recognize, unlike the deepfakes themselves.
When considering all of the possibilities of how these deepfakes could be potentially harmful to the public (#FakeNews anyone?), the laundry list is HUGE.
Fake endorsements from celebrities.
Fake political campaigns.
Governmental figures declaring fake statements.
A fake voicemail from "your boss."
Pornographic material.
Fake candidate interviews for remote job openings.
And it gets worse. There was even an attempt at recreating the face and voice of late comedian Robin Williams this week. I mean, seriously? Let the man rest peacefully and leave his family be.
Apparently, we are rapidly approaching a world where the line between reality and fabrication will be blurred and messy. As AI software like Chat GPT continues to develop, the call for increased security measures and government regulations will take a new precedence. Already, there are a plethora of tools and resources out there to be leveraged for malicious activity. While it seems like there is no stopping bad actors from doing bad things, there is a true advantage to being educated and staying in-the-know about how these attacks work and what preventative measures you as an individual can take to stay protected.
If you want to know more about how deepfakes work, where the term "deepfake" actually came from, and how to discern the difference between real and B.S., check out this article:
For now, farewell, and see you next Friday!