AI-generated media imitating public figures have caused a stir across many realms of life — pop culture, religion, politics, and more. As generative artificial intelligence continues to advance, the ease with which we can distinguish the true from the false diminishes. AI-made photos, videos, and audio called “deepfakes” have taken the internet by storm over the last two years, prompting calls for regulation of the technology.
Quartz looks at the biggest AI deepfake moments. 2 / 9 A fake Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy surrenders to Russia A fake Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy surrenders to Russia on social media in 2022 told the country’s soldiers they should put down their weapons and surrender to Russia. than newer ones that have become harder to distinguish from reality.
The clip of fake Zelenskyy convinced few if any, given the odd accent and dissimilar skin tone of the deepfake. 3 / 9 The Pope in a puffer The Pope in a puffer A posh deepfake photo of the Pope in a fashionable, knee-length, Balenciaga puffer jacket in early 2023 was , showcasing how the technology rapidly advanced to thin the line between what’s organic and what’s AI. It came around the same time AI-generated photos of popped up on social media as well as .
4 / 9 Fake Drake sings from the heart Fake Drake sings from the heart , was met with major concern from the music industry over intellectual property rights. Later in 2023, Universal Music Group (UMG), together with ABKCO .
