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Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Celebrity Deepfake Incidents Hit Record High
Have you seen online images of Taylor Swift in a compromising situation any time recently? If so, you're far from alone. Already, this year, there have been 179 incidents recorded—more than during the whole of 2024. And last year's figure of 150 was itself more than two and a half times higher than 2023. A quarter of deepfakes involved Elon Musk, with Taylor Swift the second-most faked celebrity. Tom Hanks, Kanye West, Emma Watson, and Brad Pitt all made appearances too. The aim in a third of cases was fraud, with other motives including generating explicit content and political endorsement. "Deepfake technology is advancing at an alarming rate, and with it, the capacity for misinformation and malicious intent grows", said said Tomas Stamulis, chief security officer at Surfshark, which carried out the research. "The potential for harm ranges from tarnished personal reputation to threatened national security. People have to be cautious, as losing trust in the information we hear and see can significantly impact personal privacy, institutions, and even democracy". Examples using explicit content rose to 53 this spring, up from 26 the year before, while there were 48 incidents of fraud, almost as many as the total of 56 last year. And while you might think that, with the U.S. election over and done with, there would be fewer political examples, that's very much not the case. Political incidents have already reached 40 so far this year, nearly as many as the 50 during 2024. As you might expect, Donald Trump is the most targeted politician, with 25 incidents, accounting for 18% of politician-related deepfakes. Joe Biden follows with 20 incidents, mainly seen during the elections, where his voice was used in robocalls. Kamala Harris and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have faced six and four incidents, respectively. In one recent example, a deepfake image of NBC News anchor Al Roker was used to claim that he'd had had two heart attacks in the past and to plug a treatment for hypertension. In the U.K., recent deepfakes have included well-known personalities including financial expert Martin Lewis, radio DJ Zoe Ball and adventurer Ben Fogle, used to promote fraudulent cryptocurrency and investment schemes. One elderly victim lost £50,000. But there are new efforts to deal with the problem. In the U.K., deepfakes will fall under the provisions of the Online Safety Act. In the U.S., meanwhile, the bipartisan Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe, or No Fakes Act, aims to protect people's voice and visual likeness from unauthorized computer-generated recreations. The act has the support of YouTube, which last week said it would provide clear legal frameworks to protect individuals' rights. "Nobody—whether they're Tom Hanks or an 8th grader just trying to be a kid—should worry about someone stealing their voice and likeness", said senator Chris Coons, one of the sponsors of the bill. "Incredible technology like AI can help us push the limits of human creativity, but only if we protect Americans from those who would use it to harm our communities".
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Anti-AI Deepfakes Bill Resurrected in Senate
With support from SAG-AFTRA, the MPA, YouTube, OpenAI and the RIAA, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has reintroduced a bill designed to combat the unauthorized use of a person's voice and likeness in AI-generated deepfakes. Nearly a year after the NO FAKES (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe) Act was first introduced last July, Democratic and Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, Amy Klobuchar and Thom Tillis resurrected the bill in Washington on Tuesday. If passed, the act would establish a federal right for every American protecting their voice and visual likeness. The unauthorized use of both has become a growing concern in recent years among actors, performers and all prominent public figures. State Representatives María Elvira Salazar, Nathaniel Moran, Becca Balint and Madeleine Dean stood alongside their senate colleagues Wednesday in support of the bill. In addition to offering federal protections against unauthorized deepfakes, the NO FAKES Act would also result in the prompt removal of unauthorized deepfakes from platforms that host user-generated content. MPA CEO Charles Rivkin, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., musician Randy Travis, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl and YouTube global head of artists Vivien Lewit also appeared in-person Wednesday in Washington to show their support for the bill. Last year, Travis released a song using AI-cloned vocals, after having had his singing ability taken away from him years ago by a stroke. In a press release, RIAA said the purpose of the reintroduced NO FAKES Act is to protect 'Americans from invasive deepfakes while reducing litigation and promoting American AI development.' 'This bill proves that we can prioritize the growth of AI and protect American creativity at the same time,' said Glazier in an RIAA statement released Wednesday. 'We applaud Senators Blackburn, Coons, Tillis and Klobuchar; Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Balint and bipartisan colleagues for their incredible leadership on driving this legislation that provides balanced and effective protections for all individuals against exploitative uses of their voice and likeness while supporting free speech, reducing litigation and achieving the promise of AI technology.' In his own, separate statement, Warner Music Group's Kyncl echoed Glazier's sentiments, commenting, 'I applaud Senators Blackburn and Coons and Representatives Salazar and Dean for their leadership in introducing the NO FAKES Act. This bill reflects what can happen when tech and creative industries come together – foster cutting edge innovation while protecting human identity and artistry. We look forward to working with key members of the U.S. Senate and House to help pass the NO FAKES Act this year.' The post Anti-AI Deepfakes Bill Resurrected in Senate appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Senators Reintroduce 'No Fakes' Bill Taking on AI Deepfakes
A bipartisan group of senators has reintroduced legislation aimed at taking on unauthorized uses of voice and likenesses for AI-generated deepfakes, gaining support from stakeholders in the entertainment and tech industries. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) reintroduced the NO FAKES (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe) Act on Wednesday alongside Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4) Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1) and Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large) nearly a year after the bill was first introduced last July. Entertainment organizations like SAG-AFTRA, the RIAA and the MPA had voiced their support of the bill last time, and the newly reintroduced bill has also drawn support from the likes of YouTube and OpenAI. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jennifer Lopez to Host 2025 American Music Awards RIAA CEO, Grammys CEO and SAG-AFTRA's Chief Negotiator Pen Open Letter Backing "No Fakes" Bill Why Kevin Bacon Wanted to Hunt Demons in 'The Bondsman' The bill would establish a federal right for every American for their voice and visual likeness, a particularly sought after distinction for famous actors and recording artists. Per a press release, the bill also requires 'promptly removing unauthorized deepfakes' from UGC platforms. The onus would be on individuals to notify platforms about the use of unauthorized deepfakes. In a press conference on Wednesday, backers emphasized that the bill was supported by a bipartisan coalition, with Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) underlining tha 'this is not about politics.' The Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charlie Rivkin called the proposed legislation a 'reminder that Congress and our community can come together to do big things for the good of creators and for all Americans.' The bill strives to offer both regular Americans and superstars rights to their voices and likenesses, providing them the opportunity to hold both infringers and platforms liable. But a couple celebrities were on hand on Wednesday to offer their thoughts on how the proposed regulation could help their communities. Country and gospel singer-songwriter Randy Travis, who has suffered aphasia after a strike in 2013, raised the point that AI can help singers like him to record new music, as he did in 2024 in one of the first commercial recordings to feature AI-cloned vocals. In remarks delivered by his wife Mary, Travis said his recent recordings, enabled by new technology, 'are very different from someone else stealing my voice and producing music, music that I never participated in or authorized… no one should be allowed to put words in someone else's mouth or depict them doing something they never did.' Actor Fran Drescher, who also serves as president of actors' union SAG-AFTRA, conveyed her own concerns. 'When the evildoers are actually trying to put words into my mouth that I never said, that goes against my moral compass and everything I stand for, that's where the rubber meets the road,' she said. 'It's time to define what's right and what's wrong.' AI deepfakes have grown increasingly common as the technology has improved and gotten more accessible to the general public, as evidenced as recently as February in a viral video depicting deepfakes of David Schwimmer, Jerry Seinfeld, Scarlett Johansson deploring Kanye West for his stream of antisemitic comments. 'I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it,' Johansson said back in February a statement of the video. 'We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.' Joining the legislators in person to commend the bill were Rivkin, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., Drescher, RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier, YouTube global head of artists Vivien Lewit, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl and Travis. 'This bill reflects what can happen when tech and creative industries come together – foster cutting edge innovation while protecting human identity and artistry,' Kyncl said in a statement. 'We look forward to working with key members of the US Senate and House to help pass the NO FAKES Act this year.' 'This bill proves that we can prioritize the growth of AI and protecting American creativity at the same time,' Glazier said in a statement. 'We applaud Senators Blackburn, Coons, Tillis and Klobuchar; Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Balint and bipartisan colleagues for their incredible leadership on driving this legislation that provides balanced and effective protections for all individuals against exploitative uses of their voice and likeness while supporting free speech, reducing litigation and achieving the promise of AI technology.' During the Wednesday press conference, policymakers emphasized that they think they can get the bill passed this time. Sen. Klobuchar pointed out that her bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act addressing nonconsensual porn, including that which is deepfaked, is on the road to getting passed, suggesting that offered hope for the NO FAKES Act. Sen. Coons said stakeholders would not be present without the will to 'move this forward.' And in her remarks, Blackburn emphasized that everyone present wanted to get the bill 'across the finish line.' She added, 'There is so much momentum on this.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
