This step comes as deep fake technology using artificial intelligence continues to spread across social media. An individual can have their image exploited in the creation of AI-generated material without consent; Earlier this month, an Ohio man was the first person convicted under a new federal law criminalizing “intimate” optical illusions of this kind. Meanwhile, celebrities find themselves at risk of outright deepfakes and false endorsements.
A new report from AI detection firm Copyleaks shows that Swift and other stars have recently used similar images in fraudulent ads. Researchers identified a group of promotional videos on TikTok that appear to show Swift, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and others promoting “potentially fraudulent or harmful services,” with the clips using what researchers call “realistic-sounding voices” as well as “textured filters intended to hide some of the flaws in AI-generated visual images.”
Fake ads show Swift et al. In what seem to be common settings for interviews – red carpet events or talk show sets. However, instead of answering questions, the AI-generated celebrities talk about supposed bounty programs in which TikTok users are paid for providing feedback on content submitted to them.
“I was reading about digital behavior this week and came across a quiz feature called TikTok Pay,” the deepfake Swift said in an ad that used doctored footage of an appearance in which the real Swift appeared. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon In October. “Some users are invited to watch videos and provide opinions.” Swift goes on to say that the show is in a “limited rollout” at the moment but encourages viewers to see if they qualify for it, adding: “If the page opens to you, don’t think too much about it.”
Of course, anyone who clicks is accepted. These ads ultimately lead the user to a third-party service, which, despite the TikTok name and logo, is clearly coded using the AI platform Lovable, whose own branding appears on the page and in the URL. Researchers say that at this stage, the user is asked to start entering his name and personal information.
While it’s not clear what advertisers intend to do with all the data being mined by promoting celebrity deepfakes, fraudulent ads with similar goals are extremely common. Last week, the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging that the tech giant misled Facebook and Instagram users about its efforts to crack down on fraudulent ads, and profited by allowing them to spread. The US Federal Trade Commission reported Monday that social media scams have risen overall, with Facebook scams accounting for the highest total of financial losses.
Not surprisingly, SWIFT and its peers have taken legal steps to distance themselves from this fraudulent economy. Although Swift has not publicly commented on the reasons behind registering her trademark, the reputational damage caused by deceptive deepfakes of her billion-dollar trademark cannot be overlooked. The problem is that they are becoming more complex by the day.
