Deepfake Video Falsely Announces Death of Italian Doctor Matteo Bassetti
A deepfake video created with artificial intelligence and falsely mimicking a TG1 news broadcast circulated on social media on May 5, 2025, announcing that Italian infectious disease specialist Matteo Bassetti had been shot and killed in his car. Bassetti denied the false claims and expressed anger that authorities had not stopped the creation and spread of synthetic media using his likeness and voice.
What happened
A video created with artificial intelligence circulated on social media on May 5, 2025, falsely mimicking a TG1 news broadcast.
The deepfake video announced that doctor Matteo Bassetti had been shot and killed in his car at a busy intersection, and included a synthetic voice clone of Bassetti making unfounded revelations about the health system.
Reported impact
Matteo Bassetti denied the false claims on his social media channels and expressed anger about the incident.
Bassetti stated he had been subjected to voice falsification, threats, death announcements, and murder accusations, and questioned why postal police and the judiciary could not stop such activities.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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