An AI-generated ad using Taylor Swift’s likeness has surfaced, fooling her fans with the celebrity’s voice used to promote Le Creuset’s high-end cookware.
In the ad, the fake Taylor Swift is giving away free cookware to her fans on social media, as the trend continues with bad actors using celebrity AI voices to dupe unsuspecting fans of their money and personal information.
All are not real
The ad has already been taken down from Facebook, according to Fox News. In the ad, Tyler tells fans that she is excited to give away free sets of the cookware on condition they click on a certain provided link, according to a New York Times report.
The report further indicates that numerous fans were directed to what looked like a genuine website full of fake reviews. But users only need to pay a small fee of $9.96 for shipping, while they also give away their personal information.
“Hey, you 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 AI-generated Taylor said.
According to Fox News, Le Creuset and Taylor Swift had no part in the ad. Although the “Red” singer has previously expressed her love for the brand, she has never endorsed it officially.
Le Creuset distanced themselves from the ad
In a statement to Fox, Le Creuset said their promotions are clearly advertised on their official social media accounts.
“Le Creuset is not involved with Taylor Swift for any consumer giveaway. All approved Le Creuset giveaways or promotions come from the official Le Creuset social accounts,” wrote the company.
“Consumers should always check Le Creuset’s official social accounts and website before clicking on any suspicious ads.”
A computer science professor, Siwei Lyu, told the Times that the Taylor Swift ad must have been derived from “a text-to-speech platform,” adding that it was becoming easier to access AI tools.
“These tools are becoming very accessible these days,” said Lyu.
“It’s becoming very easy, and that’s why we’re seeing more.”
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Growing trend
There have been concerns over what AI can do and how it can be abused to spread misinformation and promote fake causes. A lot of celebrities have had their likeness used in fake AI ads or AI-generated music or videos.
Sometime last year, Tom Hanks had to set the record straight after a dental plan ad was circulating on the internet, generated by AI. Another celebrity, Scarlett Johansson, was also a victim of AI-generated content, and her legal team was working to take proper legal action.
Several AI experts have spoken about the downside of generative AI and how it is prone to abuse by unscrupulous individuals.
AI expert Marva Bailer stated that people who choose to use AI to create these kinds of ads are risking their reputation and consumer loyalty by using ads that do not have contractual rights.
This also comes as AI technology is making it easier for anyone with access to the technology to generate content ranging from images, audio, and video.
“With the age of AI and artificial intelligence, the barrier to entry to create and disseminate content is not limited to professionals,” said Bailer.
“Free tools that create professional images and campaigns are launched in minutes, reaching global audiences of millions. The ‘meme’ culture of creating context for entertainment changes drastically when the content is used to represent brands and commerce without legal consent,” she added.
Bailer also highlighted that the speed at which AI tools create content provides ample opportunities for “ads to slip through.”
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