Fake health product ads use AI to imitate Latvian professor Danilāns and actor Dumpis
Online video ads in Latvia use artificial intelligence to imitate Professor Anatolijs Danilāns and actor Uldis Dumpis, appearing to endorse health products. The public is urged to scrutinise such content carefully.
Health product advertisements that use artificial intelligence to imitate Latvian professor Anatolijs Danilāns and actor Uldis Dumpis are spreading online. The videos give the impression that these well-known figures recommend specific products for various health problems, the magazine “Jauns & Privāts” reported on 4 November. Such fakes can mislead people, as viewers tend to trust publicly recognisable figures.
What the fake videos show
In one ad, a man resembling Danilāns praises a preparation meant to deal with prostate problems. In another video, an actor resembling Dumpis claims that hearing can be restored without medication. The ad uses a voice similar to Dumpis's and includes the words: “You will regain your hearing without chemicals… I have verified it myself.”
How they are made
The creators of the ads are most likely using artificial intelligence technology to imitate people's facial features, voice and manner of speaking. As a result, viewers may wrongly conclude that the public figures genuinely endorse the advertised products.
What the aim is
The purpose of such ads is to exploit people's trust in recognisable personalities and push them to buy health products of questionable origin. For this reason, people are urged to evaluate information they see on social media carefully, especially when ads promise quick recovery or an unusually simple solution to health problems.
More information about the misleading ads is available in the latest issue of “Jauns & Privāts”.
