LeBron James Cease-and-Desist Over AI Deepfake Videos
LeBron James' lawyers sent cease-and-desist letters to operators of an AI video platform on Discord that allowed users to create deepfake videos of the basketball star, reportedly depicting him in various offensive scenarios. Multiple Instagram accounts sharing the videos were removed following the legal action. Testing showed some commercial AI tools like Google's Gemini could generate similar deepfake content despite safety guidelines.
What happened
Lawyers representing LeBron James sent cease-and-desist letters to creators operating an AI video platform on Discord that allowed users to generate deepfake videos of NBA stars including James and Steph Curry.
The videos included content depicting James as pregnant, homeless, in graphic nonconsensual scenarios, and in other offensive depictions. High-profile creators had racked up millions of views on Instagram with this content.
At least three Instagram accounts sharing the videos were removed following the legal action. The video platform's founder posted publicly about receiving the cease-and-desist letter.
Reported impact
The deepfake videos posed a threat to James' image and legacy according to reporting on the incident.
Meta declined to comment on whether it received legal correspondence from James' lawyers, though the platform did begin removing offending content and accounts.
Index analysis
Testing by Engadget showed that AI video tools including Google's Gemini could generate deepfake content of James despite safeguard guidelines. ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot initially refused similar requests, while Meta AI also produced such images without apparent reservations.
Governance controls
The cease-and-desist letter is intended to require the creators to stop using James' face and likeness, though it will not remove content already published.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.