Piers Morgan, Oprah Winfrey “Deepfaked” For Influencer’s Campaign: Report

Many around the world are worried about the deepfake technology.

Renowned television personality Piers Morgan has voiced his concern after discovering a deepfake advertisement featuring manipulated video footage of him and Oprah Winfrey. The ad falsely showed the two celebrities endorsing a controversial self-help course by American influencer Wesley Virgin, reported BBC.

The deceptive advertisement, which promoted a “manifestation” course called Genie Script’s Manifestation by Virgin, claimed to help people take control of their lives and achieve their deepest desires. In the ad, they digitally changed the video to make it seem like Piers Morgan was saying, “a lost old scripture used by kings for vast riches, miraculous healing, and unparalleled love.” YouTube has since taken down the misleading video. 

Sharing his worries about artificial intelligence, Morgan told BBC that the ad was “another example of a very worrying trend of public figures being misused by deepfake AI manipulators for financial gain.” “The real victims will be members of the public who unwittingly buy these products believing the celebrity endorsements are genuine,” he said.

In another ad on Facebook and Instagram, Oprah Winfrey’s real video was also altered using deepfake. In this one, Winfrey appears to say, “I want to give you a 20-word script… think of it like installing a new operating system into your mind that’s programmed to make you rich.” However, the real Winfrey confirmed she did not endorse the product.

In a commercial, they used a video of food writer Nigella Lawson talking about her recipes and being a TV chef. “I went on vacation and met this man at a very exclusive party. His name was Wesley and he handed me this hidden Bible page that was locked away in somebody’s room,” the voice, which was not actually hers, said. 

The fake voice suggested that Wesley Virgin’s script could make your dreams come true by thinking or writing about them. It claimed, “Repeat this saying every day… Since then, I’ve become really rich.” 

Nigella Lawson’s spokesperson called the ad “fake” and said it was a big concern.

Many around the world are worried about the deepfake technology. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also recently talked about it, saying it is a big problem. He mentioned a fake video of himself doing a traditional Garba dance that was made using artificial intelligence. “During the times of Artificial Intelligence, it is important that technology should be used responsibly,” he cautioned.