The move comes as AI deepfakes continue to spread on social media. Anyone can use their likeness to create non-consensual AI-generated content; Earlier this month, an Ohio man was the first person convicted under a new federal law criminalizing this type of “intimate” visual deception. Meanwhile, celebrities find themselves at risk of both outright deepfakes and false endorsements.
A new report from AI detection company CopyLeaks reveals that Swift and other stars have recently had their likenesses used in scam ads. The researchers identified a group of sponsored videos on TikTok in which Swift, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and others appeared to be promoting “potentially fraudulent or malicious services”, in which the researchers used “realistic-sounding voices” as well as “textured filters to hide certain imperfections in the AI-generated scenes”.
The fake ads show Swift et al. In what appears to be a typical interview setting – a red carpet event or a talk show set. However, instead of answering questions, the AI-generated celebrities talk about alleged rewards programs in which TikTok users are paid to respond to content given to them.
“I was reading about digital behavior this week and I came across a test feature called TikTok Pay,” says a deepfake Swift in an ad, which uses footage manipulated from the real Swift’s appearance. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon In October. “Some users are being invited to watch the video and submit opinions.” Deepfaked Swift goes on to say that the program is currently in a “limited rollout,” but encourages viewers to see if they qualify, adding: “If the page opens up to you, don’t think too much of it.”
Naturally, whoever clicks is accepted. These ads ultimately direct the user to a third-party service that, despite the TikTok name and logo, is clearly vibe-coded using the AI platform Lovable, with its own branding visible across the pages and URLs. At this point, the user is prompted to begin entering their name and personal information, the researchers say.
While it’s unclear what advertisers intend to do with all the data obtained through their celebrity deepfake promotions, scam ads with similar purposes are extremely common. Last week, the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America sued Meta, alleging that the tech giant misled Facebook and Instagram users about its efforts to crack down on scam ads and turned a profit by allowing them to spread. On Monday, the US Federal Trade Commission reported that social media scams have increased overall, with Facebook scams responsible for the most financial losses.
It’s no surprise that Swift and her peers are taking legal action to remove themselves from this fraudulent economy. Although Swift has not publicly commented on the reasoning behind her trademark filing, the reputational damage that fraudulent deepfakes have caused to her billion-dollar brand can hardly be ignored. The problem is that they become more sophisticated by the day.
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