The unchecked spread of deepfakes on social media and online platforms presents real-world consequences for the individuals, politicians, companies, and brands targeted by malicious AI-generated content. 

Engineers of disinformation are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tactics, taking advantage of the speed at which deepfakes spread online to compound the material impact on their victims. Executives, internet personalities, enterprises, and politicians alike have been the targets of such destabilizing efforts in recent months, and have had to contend with the long-term fallout from attacks that have no basis in reality.

Deepfakes Can Derail
Promising Careers

One of the most common forms of such attacks is the use of non-consensual explicit deepfakes — particularly those of women. In 2021, Sabrina Javellana, one of the youngest elected politicians in Florida’s history saw her promising political future cut short by the spread of explicit non-consensual deepfake images using her likeness. After she witnessed these deepfakes, made by members of the public to intimidate her, Ms. Javellana had to change her behavior at press events, distanced herself from the public eye, and stopped pursuing further career opportunities over her concern about exposure. 

The traumatic impact of the deepfakes and the practical implications of the content spreading online directly impacted Javellana’s career, as she began instead to work behind the scenes and made her life private in order to minimize the impact of the AI-generated content aimed at destabilizing her livelihood. The damage caused by deepfake attacks can be long-lasting, psychological as well as material, impacting an individual’s ability to pursue career advancements and fulfill job obligations, particularly in public-facing setting – something Ms. Javellana directly faced.

Deepfakes Manipulate the
Relationship Between
Brands and Products

In another recent trend, fraudsters have utilized deepfake videos and audio of brand personalities to peddle questionable products and money-making schemes. One influencer who most often sees his AI-generated likeness used for nefarious purposes is the uber-popular YouTube personality Mr. Beast, whose deepfake avatar offers fake deals and lures users into cryptocurrency scams across social media platforms. For similar scams, fraudsters have used deepfakes of billionaires such as Elon Musk and Warren Buffett. Deepfake videos of Tom Hanks were even used to promote a fake dental plan, while Oprah saw her AI-generated likeness used to sell diet pills. 

Though such incidents can cause serious reputational harm to individuals, they also demonstrate how deepfakes can be used to tarnish the reputations of companies at large. AI-generated videos and images of faulty products and dissatisfied users can lead to the loss of potential customers, while deepfakes can portray company executives and employees as doing or saying things that never happened, affecting the company’s image, finances, and even its position on the stock market. The relationship between brand, brand representatives, and products can thus be artificially manipulated, defined, or erased with a cheap digital forgery. The hard work of debunking deepfakes and reversing the damage in the real world can be resource-draining for companies regardless of size. 

Deepfakes Tarnish the
Image of Public Servants

Perhaps the most rampant use of deepfakes in damaging reputations is in the national political arena. Recently, we have tracked the deepfakes fueling dangerous conspiracy theories around the upcoming United States election — most recently centered on the horrific assassination attempt on Former President Donald Trump, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’s TV appearances. Such content can materially impact the public's perception of the affected politicians, leading to a lack of trust in their statements and actions. The doubts and distortions of truths supported by AI-generated forgeries further exploit the public divisions in our country, and interfere with fair and free elections, wherein every citizen has the right to facts, not deepfake fictions.

Reality Defender is proud to work with organizations and individuals to detect and report malicious deepfakes, enabling brands to retain control over their hard-won reputations in an era when the very concept of truth is under assault. When deepfakes move through the intangible world of digital spaces, their material impact is undeniable. Companies see their money stolen by cybercriminals, the markets are rattled by deepfakes deployed by disinformation groups, and politicians feel their reputations tarnished daily, all while the public becomes even more skeptical in which sources of information can be trusted.

Fortunately, the tools needed to prevent this onslaught are readily available. With strict laws on the creation and distribution of deepfakes and powerful detection tools built into every aspect of content dissemination, we can fight brand and reputational damage caused by the nefarious misuse of generative AI on every front.