AI-generated image of BLACKPINK member Lisa sparks deepfake concerns
Kevin Shiu, founder of a US trading app, posted a highly realistic AI-generated image on social media appearing to show him with BLACKPINK member Lisa, then revealed it was created using Google's Nano Banana image generation model. The incident sparked concerns about the ease of creating realistic deepfake images at no cost and the potential for fraud and identity impersonation.
What happened
Kevin Shiu, founder of trading app AfterHours, posted on social media a photograph of himself sitting next to BLACKPINK member Lisa, claiming they had met and taken a selfie together. He stated: 'I had a pleasant time discussing investments and drinks, and Lisa kindly took a selfie with me.'
Shiu then revealed the image was generated using Google's Nano Banana AI model in seconds, adding 'nothing actually happened' and the image was 'just a composite image created by Nano Banana in just a few seconds.'
Reported impact
Shiu warned that 'it now costs nothing to create fake images,' and predicted that 'scammers will soon flood fake photos and stories like this. Don't believe every selfie you see online.'
Social media users expressed concern that such highly realistic synthetic images could be used for fraud and that people would no longer be able to distinguish real from fake content.
Index analysis
Nano Banana demonstrated sufficient image generation quality that the synthetic image was difficult to distinguish from authentic photographs, raising concerns about potential misuse.
The ease and zero cost of creating realistic deepfake images using Nano Banana highlighted risks of online fraud and identity impersonation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.