Reported by Rick Schindler

YouTube has deleted a thousand videos circulating on its platform that purportedly showed Taylor Swift, Steve Harvey and Joe Rogan denouncing a Medicare scam, 404 Media reported today.

The videos the celebrities appeared to be showing were not legitimate advertisements for Medicare plans that would help seniors meet their health care needs.

Instead, they were artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes that experts used the celebrities’ previous videos and appearances to create something that looked completely plausible.

YouTube said it was “aware” that the platform featured the fake ads featuring fake celebrity appearances and removed more than 1,000 videos linked to the scams.

According to 404 Media’s research, the videos have already had a total of 200 million views, and there are likely many more that haven’t been deleted yet.

Newsweek has emailed YouTube and reps for Swift, Rogan and Harvey for comment.

“We review the ads shared with us and have already removed some because they violate our policies against clickbait and sensationalistic tactics,” a Google spokesperson previously told 404 Media.

“We have also taken appropriate action against the associated accounts. We are constantly working to improve our enforcement systems to stay ahead of the latest trends and fraud tactics and ensure we can respond quickly to new threats.”

AI has been used in many widely shared deepfake videos. Aside from the scams, there is a video circulating that appears to show Donald Trump warning of the start of a third world war.

Meanwhile, others are using AI versions of Jennifer Aniston and asking viewers to enter their financial information to get a free MacBook.

“It is clear that AI scams are using deepfake technology to create highly realistic images or videos of celebrities,” said Darren Graham, managing director of 408 Media Group Newsweek.

“This technology uses AI to manipulate or generate visual and audio content to make it appear as if celebrities are saying or doing things they never did. They are believable due to the advanced AI algorithms that can mimic nuances of human expression and language, resulting in near-authentic depictions.”

Read full report: https://worldtimetodays.com/how-taylor-swift-got-caught-up-in-a-medicare-scam/#google_vignette