Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, is perhaps best known for his giveaways. But don’t be fooled into thinking he’s offering free iPhone 15 smartphones.
On Monday night, the YouTube star warned the public about a video advertisement that features an AI-generated deepfake of MrBeast urging users to click a link for an iPhone giveaway. The ad has been appearing on TikTok, and it does an adequate job of cloning MrBeast’s likeness. As you can see, the video replicates his voice, which is largely matched to his lip movements.
The deepfake also tries to capture the viewer’s attention by claiming that MrBeast has selected 10,000 people to receive an iPhone 15 Pro in exchange “for just $2.” The deepfake then directs the user to click a link below the video to participate.
Some users may have been easily tricked into thinking the iPhone giveaway was real. So in response, MrBeast took to Twitter to warn people about the threat while urging social media companies to crack down on such deepfakes.
“Lots of people are getting this deepfake scam ad of me… are social media platforms ready to handle the rise of AI deepfakes? This is a serious problem,” he wrote.
TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the platform has banned deepfakes that mislead the public. In addition, TikTok prohibits deepfakes of celebrities for commercial purposes.
That said, the deepfake of MrBeast shows scammers can still bypass TikTok’s safeguards to spread a fraudulent ad on the social media platform. In the meantime, deepfakes have been ensnaring other celebrities. This past weekend, actor Tom Hanks warned about an unauthorized AI version of himself that was spotted pitching dental plans to users.
