Deepfake ads are here - be warned

The year is 2006. You get an email with a few too many typos and oddly placed punctuation. It’s the Nigerian prince. You’re too smart for that - and you warn your grandparents to be careful.

The year is 2017. You get a password reset email from m1crosoft.co. You’re too smart for that - and you warn your grandparents to be careful.

The year is 2021. You get a DM from your favorite influencer…except there’s an extra letter in their handle and they’re asking you for $50 to access their special content. You’re too smart for that - and you warn your grandparents to be careful.

The year is now 2023. You see this on your feed:

It’s everybody’s favorite lightning rod - Joe Rogan. He’s chatting with everyone’s favorite biohacker - Andrew Huberman. They’re talking about how to increase testosterone. Then Joe - rather zealously - starts to plug some libido pills.

Ok - you’re a guy. You 43 years old and you’re sex life isn’t what it used to be. Why not give these a spin? Huberman and Rogan have tested it all so you don’t have to - right?

WRONG. It’s a deepfake??!! Were you too smart for this one too? Or did you get suckered?

I have to admit, if I saw this natively in the wild, I wouldn’t have realized.

When ChatGPT turned the world on its head in mid-December, it felt like we went back in time to the wild west. a crazy time when minds with imaginations could dream up wild futures full of opportunity - without many rules or regulations holding them back. The rate of change is blazing fast right now with AI seeping into every aspect of our work processes - and with any change, there are going to be nefarious actors.

I’d argue that we’re now on the precipice of one of the most manipulative couple of years since I’ve been alive. Prior changes in technology have allowed bad actors to get in front of more people, certainly - but not with this amazing ability to replicate someone else’s identity.

The m1crosoft.co was always easy to spot if you knew where to look - but as deepfakes get better both in voice as well as in facial replication, it’ll become harder and harder to discern between fake and real.

While the Nigerian prince’s heyday has long come and gone, phishing has only increased - and I’m sure we’ll see a new favorite tactic related to deepfakes rear its head soon.

Don’t believe everything you see on the internet, lest you become your grandparents.