Actors' Likenesses Misused in Deepfake Scams After Licensing to AI Platforms
Actors who licensed their likenesses to AI avatar platforms discovered their digital doubles being misused in deepfake scams promoting dubious health products and political content. Despite earning modest fees, many found their contracts contained exploitative terms that prevented them from controlling or removing the videos.
What happened
South Korean actor Simon Lee discovered his likeness being used in deepfake videos on TikTok and Instagram promoting questionable health cures, appearing as a gynaecologist or surgeon endorsing lemon balm tea for weight loss and ice baths for acne. He is one of scores of people who licensed their image to AI marketing companies and subsequently found their digital avatars featured in misleading advertisements or political propaganda.
Lee told AFP that his contract terms prevented him from removing the videos. AI platforms allow customers to select a licensed face, choose a language and tone, insert a script, and generate videos at minimal cost—free for basic versions or a few hundred euros for pro versions—to create realistic deepfakes superior in expressiveness to purely AI-generated avatars.
Reported impact
Lee stated that he would not have objected if the advertisements had been legitimate. Actors who licensed their likenesses for modest fees—typically up to a few thousand euros depending on duration and fame—found themselves bound by contracts containing complex legal language and sometimes abusive clauses that they did not fully understand when signing.
Index analysis
The technology provides a cheaper alternative to filming real actors while producing more realistic results than fully AI-generated avatars. Legal experts warned that technology is outpacing regulation, creating risk of exploitation.
Governance controls
Contracts between actors and AI marketing platforms often contain abusive clauses and legal jargon that people signed without fully understanding the terms, leaving them unable to control how their likeness is used.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.