Ukrainian YouTuber's Image Used Without Consent to Generate AI Videos Promoting China
-
Ukrainian YouTuber Olga Loiek found AI-generated videos of herself speaking Mandarin and promoting China-Russia relations on Chinese social media platforms. The videos were created without her consent.
-
The avatars in the videos praise China, talk about Russian women wanting to marry Chinese men, and ask people to visit online stores selling "authentic" Russian goods.
-
Some videos were labeled as AI-generated, but many commenters thought they were looking at a real woman. The apps used include Douyin (TikTok), Bilibili, and HeyGen.
-
HeyGen's policies require user consent before generating avatars of real people, but it's unclear how that was bypassed. Over a dozen accounts imitating Loiek have been taken down since she complained.
-
China has regulations on deepfakes but continues to invest heavily in realistic AI avatars. Similar avatars have been used in disinformation campaigns promoting Beijing's interests abroad.