Celebrities including Piers Morgan, Nigella Lawson and Oprah Winfrey have criticised the use of AI deepfake online adverts that gave the false impression they had endorsed a US influencer's controversial self-help course.
Its promotion blends pseudo-science, conspiracy theories and the manipulation of celebrity likenesses - all to draw in customers desperate for the chance to take control of their fate."I went on vacation and met this man at a very exclusive party. His name was Wesley and he handed me this hidden Bible page that was locked away in somebody's room," the voice said.
The real Piers Morgan told the BBC the advert was "another example of a very worrying trend of public figures being misused by deepfake AI manipulators for financial gain". "Of course, as the technology to create these fake audio and video improves, it will become increasingly difficult to detect these fakes. And the technology is improving at a stunning rate," he added.
"We seek to protect consumers from the false association of Ms Winfrey and the misuse of AI to create such false advertising," they said.When the BBC contacted Wesley Virgin he said the adverts were "the work of affiliates", people who can earn money by helping him make sales, and that he was "in the process of banning them all".
The narrative of this video centred on a supposed "missing" page from the Bible that carries a powerful prayer script. The rich and famous knew the secret script, the narration claimed, and warned that "they're willing to put a bullet into anyone's head who exposes them".