Woman Says Brand Used An AI Deepfake Of Her To Promote Their Product Without Her Consent
While the brand eventually took the video down, she emphasized how dangerous this software can be.
Jose Calsina | Shutterstock The rise of AI has created both intrigue and panic, especially with the threat that this advanced technology could potentially eliminate jobs in certain career fields. However, one of the prominent worries about AI is how certain individuals will use it to create deepfakes of others, which has been happening in droves lately, especially to celebrities and online influencers.
Such was the case for a content creator and mom named Samantha (Sam) McIntosh, who was shocked when she noticed a video of herself promoting a product for a brand on TikTok but claimed that it had been used without her knowledge.
The woman said a brand used an AI deepfake of her to promote their product on social media without her consent.
In Sam's video, she showed a screenshot of the clip that she'd seen floating around social media of herself promoting a product for an online brand. However, the problem arose after she pointed out that it was not her or her actual face in the video. Instead, it was an AI deepfake that the brand had made and used without her approval.
"That is my video that is on this account that you are watching right now," Sam said. "A brand took, made a deepfake of me using AI edited my face, and reuploaded it to further their product."
The woman said these AI deepfakes are the reason she never posts photos or videos of her children online.
Sam pointed out that finding this video proved that not only is the internet a scary place, but she also explained that things like this are the reason why she doesn't ever post photos or videos of her children's faces on the internet.
She stressed that you truly don't know what kinds of people are just waiting to do something as unethical as making an AI deepfake of a stranger's likeness.
Sam insisted that if something like that could happen to her, she couldn't even imagine what an individual would be able to do to her kids.
"I don't understand how anybody behind a brand can think that's okay. Once I brought this to their attention, it was taken down within 30 minutes. So they had to have had access to the account to get it taken down that quick."
While the brand was quick to address the issue and acknowledge Sam's concerns, it still raises a much bigger question about security and safety at a time when technology seems to be advancing at such a rapid pace and in a way that doesn't seem to protect people's privacy.
AI deepfakes have been a prominent concern for government officials.
"The number one concern we have are some of the challenges that we have yet to face," Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told ABC News. "There are some uncertainties, particularly with generative artificial intelligence and the ways that those might be used."
Pavel Danilyuk | Canva Pro
In June 2023, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced a bill that would require "generative artificial intelligence to disclose that their output has been generated by artificial intelligence."
During the same month, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced a bill to establish an artificial intelligence commission. Additional legislation was also introduced to have regulation for AI.
There have also been many celebrities who've spoken against the use of AI deepfakes, including Taylor Swift, who, in September 2024, revealed on Instagram that she chose to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 Presidential election in part to refute the use of an AI-generated of her that was used to endorse Donald Trump.
Despite how dedicated many politicians and officials are to making sure they regulate AI use, it doesn't mean that they'll manage to track everything.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, 52% of Americans feel more concerned than excited about the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life. Similarly, in an Elon University poll conducted in April 2024, more than 3 in 4 Americans said they were worried they were not prepared to detect fake photos, video, and audio on their own.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.