Look, I’m nursing my fourth cup of coffee this morning, trying to make sense of this mess. Remember when the worst thing a celebrity had to worry about was a bad paparazzi shot or a drunken TMZ video? Those were simpler times, friends.
So here’s the deal: Someone decided to cook up an AI video featuring Scarlett Johansson and a bunch of other Jewish celebrities supposedly taking a stand against Kanye West’s latest antisemitic tirade. The video’s got everything - “Hava Nagila” playing in the background, middle fingers flying, and more fake celebrities than a Vegas impersonator convention.
And the best part? None of them agreed to it. Not a single one. Some AI wizard named Ori Bejerano (who probably thinks he’s the next Stanley Kubrick) decided to play puppet master with their digital likenesses. Real classy move there, pal.
Now, Scarlett’s rightfully pissed. She’s been down this road before - last year OpenAI tried to make her the voice of their chatbot without permission. When she told them to take a hike, they went ahead and made a knockoff version anyway. That worked out about as well as my attempt at dating a yoga instructor who didn’t drink.
The whole thing would be almost funny if it wasn’t so damn terrifying. We’re living in a world where anyone with decent AI tools can make Jerry Seinfeld say whatever they want. What’s next - Morgan Freeman narrating my grocery lists? Betty White selling cryptocurrency from beyond the grave?
Meanwhile, Kanye - sorry, “Ye” - is out there going full Nazi, hawking swastika t-shirts during the Super Bowl like it’s some kind of twisted merch drop. Shopify eventually pulled the plug, but not before proving that reality has officially jumped the shark.
The real kick in the teeth? While we’re all watching this circus, the U.S. government is sitting on its hands like a teenager at their first school dance. Other countries are actually doing something about AI regulation, but we’re still arguing about whether robots deserve rights while deepfakes run wild.
Johansson calls it a “1,000 foot wave coming.” I’d say it’s more like a tsunami of digital BS, and we’re all standing on the beach with our pants down, arguing about whether we should maybe think about building a seawall.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority says fake celebrity ads are their biggest headache. No shit. I’ve seen ads claiming Jeff Bezos is giving away his fortune through some sketchy crypto scheme. The only thing Bezos is giving away is workplace anxiety.
Here’s what keeps me up at night (besides the usual existential dread): We’re rapidly approaching a point where seeing isn’t believing anymore. When you can’t trust your own eyes, what’s left? The internet’s turned into one giant game of “Two Truths and a Lie,” except everything might be a lie, and the truth is passed out drunk in the corner.
And you know what the real cherry on top of this shit sundae is? The guy who made the video actually included a disclaimer saying it was AI-generated. Like that matters when it’s already gone viral faster than a cat video in 2005. It’s like putting a “contents may be hot” warning on coffee after you’ve already scalded someone’s lap.
Look, I’m all for fighting antisemitism. Hell, I’m all for fighting any kind of hatred. But using AI to put words in people’s mouths without their consent? That’s not fighting the good fight - that’s opening Pandora’s box and giving her an energy drink.
The worst part is, this is just the beginning. Today it’s celebrities getting deepfaked for a supposedly good cause. Tomorrow? Who knows. Maybe we’ll all wake up to find out we’ve been digitally inserted into an infomercial for penis enlargement pills or timeshare properties in Florida.
Christ, I need a drink. But it’s probably best to stay sober for what’s coming. Or at least sober enough to tell the difference between real life and whatever digital hellscape we’re careening toward.
Remember folks: in a world of deepfakes and AI-generated nonsense, being authentically human might be the only rebellion we have left. Even if being human means being confused, concerned, and occasionally wondering if we’re all living in a simulation run by a bored teenager.
Stay real, stay skeptical, and maybe keep a bottle of bourbon handy. Something tells me we’re going to need it.
– Henry C. (Written from my favorite barstool, where at least the whiskey is still authentic)
Source: Scarlett Johansson warns of dangers of AI after Kanye West deepfake goes viral