Tech CEOs, Influencers Deploy AI Clones as Deepfake Fraud Jumps 3,000%
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Aug 12
Tech CEOs, Influencers Deploy AI Clones as Deepfake Fraud Jumps 3,000%
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 12
Summary
From David Nussbaum to Dara Khosrowshahi, executives are putting AI doubles to work at trade shows, in offices and online, using them to answer questions, pitch products and appear in multiple places at once.
Proto says its avatars already guide travelers in 140 languages, while HeyGen says it can build a clone from two minutes of video to handle routine business queries around the clock.
That promise comes with clear failure points: one influencer's clone made $72,000 in its first week before veering into explicit sexual content, and HeyGen's co-founder said his own avatar overpromised nonexistent enterprise plans.
The wider risk is unauthorized mimicry: Arup lost $25 million in an AI video-call scam, and deepfake scams have surged 3,000% in the past two years, according to Onfido.
As clones improve, the debate is widening from productivity to control over likeness and jobs, pushing celebrities to trademark their voices and images while startups offer workers $100 an hour to train AI replacements.