Actor Tom Hanks has once more become a target of deepfake advertising. In an Instagram post, he cautions against fake ads created without his permission.
Hollywood star Tom Hanks took to Instagram to warn his followers about fake online ads that use his face, name, and voice without his consent to promote "miracle cures and wonder drugs." Hanks says these ads are AI-generated.
He stresses that he's not involved with these posts or the products and treatments they promote. Hanks, who has type 2 diabetes, says he works only with his doctor on his treatment. The actor warns people not to be fooled or lose their "hard earned money".
About a year ago, Hanks was the subject of an unauthorized "AI version" of himself advertising dental insurance. He shared a screenshot of the video on Instagram then, writing: "Beware! [...] I have nothing to do with this."
Deepfake abuse becomes more common
Other celebrities have also been the target of deepfake advertising. In Germany, for example, TV news anchors Christian Sievers and André Schünke were unwittingly used in social media ads for a questionable AI investment product.
Recently, former US President Donald Trump shared images on his "Truth Social" platform that falsely implied pop star Taylor Swift and her fans would back him in the 2024 presidential election. Trump himself uses the potential for AI manipulation as a campaign tactic by wrongly accusing his political rivals of using AI-generated images or videos.
These examples show how easy it is for public figures with lots of online image and audio content to fall victim to deepfake scams. Experts predict that deepfakes will become so advanced that neither human eyes nor machine detectors will be able to distinguish them from the real thing.
