Scarlett Johansson Condemns ‘Misuse of AI’ as Deepfake Video Goes Viral
Scarlett Johansson has urged the U.S. government to pass a law limiting the use of AI after a video featuring her deepfake went viral.
The AI video, which has been widely circulated online, features deepfakes of Jewish celebrities such as Johansson, Drake, David Schwimmer, Steven Spielberg, and Mark Zuckerberg criticizing Kanye West and anti-semitism.
The viral video opens with a deepfake of Johansson, wearing a white T-shirt featuring a hand and its middle finger extended. In the center of the hand is a Star of David. The name “Kanye” is written underneath the hand. The AI clip ends with the words “Enough is Enough” and “Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.”
Kanye West faced renewed backlash this week after the rapper posted a stream of antisemitic abuse on social media and put T-shirts with a swastika on sale in his online shop.
According to Rolling Stone, the creators of the clip — Ori Bejerano, a self-described “Generative AI Expert” who works at a marketing agency in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Guy Bar, founder of an AI tech hub called Elevaitor — reportedly did not obtain the permission of any celebrity shown in the clip.
As the deepfake video continues to gain online attention, Johannson made a statement to People about the misuse of AI technology.
“It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction,” Johansson says.
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it.
“We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
In the statement to People, Johansson calls for government regulation of AI to prevent abuse like this in the U.S.
“I have unfortunately been a very public victim of AI but the truth is that the threat of AI affects each and every one of us,” she says. “There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding AI that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner.
“It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of AI.”
Johansson has been an outspoken critic of AI-generated deepfakes. She previously took legal action against an AI app that used her likeness and name in an advertisement without consent. The ad, posted by an image-generating app called “Lisa AI: 90’s Yearbook & Avatar,” used real footage of Johansson to generate a deepfaked clip of the actress.
PetaPixel also reported on a recent documentary about AI-generated pornography that may have broken U.K. law when it featured deepfaked footage of Johansson in lingerie.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
