Deepfake Technology: Deepfake technology has become a topic of discussion ever since a video falsely featuring Bollywood actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral on social media. In the video, the Pushpa actor was seen entering an elevator. The video initially showed Zara Patel, a British-Indian influencer, but then her face was replaced with the face of the actor using deepfake technology. However, Rashmika is not the only actress to have been targeted by deepfake technology. Previously, several celebrities have also been subjected to such incidents.
Celebrities fallen victim to Deepfake technology
- Tom Hanks: Earlier last month, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks had warned fans that an ad for a dental plan featuring him was created using artificial intelligence. Sharing a message to his 9.5 million Instagram followers, the actor said his image was used without his consent. “BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it,” Hanks wrote, sharing a screenshot of a computer-generated image of himself from the clip.
- YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson: YouTuber, Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as Mr. Beast, recently fell victim to misleading AI-driven advertisements. The deceptive TikTok ad featured a fake video of Donaldson and falsely promised to provide viewers with $2 iPhones.
- Kritsten Bell: Kristen Bell, the 39-year-old actress known for voicing Anna in Disney’s ‘Frozen,’ experienced a sense of violation upon learning that her image had been manipulated and used in explicit content on the internet. Her husband, Dax Shepard, brought this disturbing revelation to her attention.
- Rashmika Mandanna: After her morphed video went viral on social media, Rashimka Mandanna issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) and said, “I feel hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.”
What is Deepfake technology?
Deepfakes are photos and videos that realistically replace one person’s face with another. Many AI tools are available to Internet users on their smartphones for almost free. The widespread use of deepfake technology has prompted calls for ethical and regulatory guidelines to address the challenges it poses. Efforts are underway to develop tools for detecting deepfake content and raise awareness about its existence. Balancing technological advancement with ethical considerations remains a key challenge as society grapples with the far-reaching implications of this powerful AI-driven tool.