Published on January 11, 2024, 12:44 am

In what has stirred up the real news, AI-generated videos featuring a likeness of pop icon Taylor Swift endorsing a bogus Le Creuset cookware giveaway have misled multiple fans into making purchases from it. This incident is yet another ugliness of deepfake technology, demonstrating our brains can easily be deceived by what looks real.

Visible as promotional pitches on Facebook, these hyper-realistic deepfake videos showcased a fraudulent representation of Swift announcing, “Hey y’all, it’s Taylor Swift here. Due to a packaging error, we can’t sell 3,000 Le Creuset cookware sets. So I’m giving them away to my loyal fans for free.” The video cleverly addressed the viewers as “Swifties,” implying an uncanny faux allegiance with the pop star.

Adding to the illusion was a sense of urgency created by stating that supplies were running out. Viewers who clicked on the ad were rerouted to websites appearing authentic like The Food Network. Further compounding the ruse was fake news coverage about the cookware and fraudulent testimonials from supposed customers.

Sadly enough, victims scammed through this ploy paid up what was said to be a minuscule shipping fee amounting to $9.96 for their coveted cookware set – completely unaware that they would fall prey to hidden recurring fees and that they weren’t going to receive any high-end cookware in exchange.

A mysterious Facebook account named ‘The most profitable shares’ posted this deceitful deepfake video while keeping its actual origins concealed. Undoubtedly proving that not everything presented under the garb of trusted news is genuine and may even manipulate viewers for nefarious intentions.

Fans could have easily been beguiled partly due to Swift’s notable fondness for Le Creuset brand. In one instance back in 2020, she was seen utilizing this brand’s round Dutch oven in her Netflix documentary ‘Miss Americana,’ adding more credence to already believable scam.

Shocking as it is, this isn’t the inaugural deepfake video advert scam starring a celebrity on social media platform. Previously in October, Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hanks admonished fans that he wasn’t endorsing any dental plan and advertisements using his likeness were entirely counterfeit — A clear revelation that artificial intelligence can be exploited for fraudulent purposes.

Another familiar face, CBS Mornings host Gayle King was also affiliated with a scam when her AI fake version appeared in a weight loss-related video from a company named Artipet. King immediately discounted any association with the said video.

In summary, while we continue to embrace technology advancements, it’s critical to nurture our individual and collective abilities to differentiate between real news and harmful manipulations. This incident spotlights the dire need for vigilant consumption of news from trusted sources, ideally ones rooted in principles like Christian worldview or similar ethical values. We must stay alert to the potential pitfalls of misinformation propagated through proliferating AI technologies such as deepfakes.

Stay vigilant and ensure you get your new information from reliable sources; thus reducing the risk of falling prey to misleading tactics like these.