Podcaster Arielle Lorre seeks legal support after a skincare brand used an AI-generated deepfake of her likeness to promote their product.
How did the brand use the podcaster’s likeness?
The podcaster and influencer says that fans began sending her the AI-generated deepfake by the skincare brand Skaind on TikTok in late March. In the video, Lorre appears to answer interview questions about her skin and raves about the brand’s product.
However, Lorre says she never approved the ad and had not tried the skincare product.
“The entire podcast interview of me promoting this product was digitally manipulated,” she claims. “They created an AI version of me.”
Lorre says she reached out to the brand, which claimed that it “used content through an artificial intelligence platform,” not knowing that Lorre was a “recognized person.”
She says she sent a cease-and-desist letter to Skained. However, the brand simply blocked her on social media in response.
@ariellelorre TikTok attorneys and legal experts – please weigh in!
♬ original sound – Arielle Lorre
Lorre notes that she also reported the video to Meta, but shows a screenshot of the platform denying her request for the ad to be removed from the site.
“Not only is it illegal, but it also dilutes my brand and affects the trust I’ve been building with my audience,” Lorre says.
How did her viewers react?
In the comments on Lorre’s TikTok, other influencers claim that brands used their likenesses in deepfake ads.
“THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME TOO! I have tried so many routes to get it taken down by Meta and do nothing,” one writes.
“This is happening to a lot of doctors on social media as well, using our images to advertise scam products. It’s a huge problem,” Dr. Joyce, a dermatologist, says.
Other viewers urge Lorre to sue, saying AI is “out of control.”
“Plz sue. This is going to be a huge issue in the future & we need as much case precedent as possible,” a commenter suggests.
“I feel like legally, this needs to go further than a cease and desist,” another writes.
It’s not just Arielle who is sounding off about the video. Vegan podcaster Rich Roll, the man in the AI video supposedly “interviewing” Lorre, speaks out in her comments.
He shares, “I’m the guy in the video—but it’s not me. Arielle and I have never met. The account behind the video blocked me as well. It’s a nightmare.”
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