AI deepfakes used for harassment, scams and misinformation
Deepfake generation tools are being intentionally misused to create synthetic videos and audio that harass, defraud, and spread misinformation. Women and young people are particularly targeted, with deepfakes used to create non-consensual explicit content and embarrassing videos that cause psychological harm.
What happened
AI deepfake technology is being intentionally misused to harass, mislead, scam, and manipulate people. With just a few photos or seconds of video often taken from public social media profiles, AI can create a digital version of someone that looks and sounds alarmingly real.
Women have had their faces inserted into explicit videos without consent, with these deepfake pornographic clips then circulated online, often anonymously. Teenagers and students have also become targets, with deepfakes used to put their faces on embarrassing or inappropriate videos.
Reported impact
Victims face shame, trauma, and judgment from the circulation of deepfakes. Deepfakes can damage friendships, self-esteem, and mental health, particularly for young people.
Proving a video is fake does not always fix the damage, as content spreads quickly online and the Internet rarely forgets.
Index analysis
Detection systems have become less effective as AI development accelerates. In 2023, leading detection systems could identify deepfakes with up to 98% accuracy, but by 2025 that number had dropped to 65% as creators use adversarial methods to bypass detection.
Deepfake technology can be easily created in hours using widely available tools and is already being used to impersonate executives, spread fake news, and scam customers.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.