Chinese celebrities targeted by AI deepfake scams
Chinese celebrity Huo Qigang reported that his likeness and voice were used without authorization to create deepfake videos and false information, some promoting Hong Kong immigration schemes. He stated the problem has worsened over six months and called for stronger regulation of AI-generated false content.
What happened
On 23 March 2026, Huo Qigang posted on social media that his image and voice had been used without consent to create AI-generated videos and false information.
The videos extracted his voice and used his likeness to generate content expressing views not his own, and some short video accounts re-edited his previous statements about Hong Kong to promote immigration channels.
Huo Qigang reported handling thousands of fake content pieces related to his image over the past six months, with new content continuing to appear despite daily complaints filed by a dedicated team.
Reported impact
Huo Qigang expressed concern that people could be deceived by fake videos promoting Hong Kong immigration, resulting in economic losses.
He stated that his reputation and rights were being seriously affected and feared that as AI costs decrease, such deceptive and fraudulent practices would become more widespread.
Index analysis
Huo Qigang noted that colleagues initially failed to recognize some AI-generated videos as synthetic content, indicating the deepfakes were convincing enough to mislead viewers.
Governance controls
Huo Qigang called for stricter regulation of false information and urged the public to be more cautious in verifying online information to avoid being deceived.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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