A deepfake video featuring Scarlett Johansson alongside Jewish celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, Adam Sandler, and Sacha Baron Cohen surfaced this week, raising concerns over AI misuse. The video, created without the celebrities' consent, was intended to protest against Kanye West, who has faced accusations of promoting antisemitism. Johansson swiftly condemned the video and expressed her refusal to tolerate antisemitism or hate speech.
The controversial video was crafted by Israeli digital marketers Guy Bar and Ori Bejerano from Gitam BBDO, a creative agency based in Israel. It was posted online on Wednesday and quickly gained traction. The video depicted Johansson and other stars wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the Star of David on a hand making a one-finger salute, above the word "Kanye".
Kanye West, who has repeatedly referred to himself as a "Nazi" and praised Hitler on social media platform X, had his account closed on Sunday. Ty Dolla $ign, a collaborator on West's recent albums, distanced himself from the rapper this week, stating, "I do not condone any form of hate speech towards anybody."
The deepfake video serves as a prime example of the "misuse of AI" that Scarlett Johansson warned about. She articulated her concern that AI could make society "risk losing hold on reality". The video has since been taken down by Shopify due to policy violations.
"It's time to stop being silent and respond to antisemites like Kanye West in the strongest way possible." – Ori Bejerano
Despite its intentions, the campaign highlighted the issue of fake adverts featuring celebrities, which remain a prevalent type of scam online, according to new figures from the UK's Advertising Standards Authority.
Nicole Lampert commented on the situation, noting:
"It was thrilling to see Jewish stars standing up to Kanye West – if only they had really done it."
She further emphasized:
"A viral video of the campaign, which transpired to be AI-generated, only serves to highlight the deafening silence of the celebrity class."
Johansson's statement reinforced her stance against hate speech:
"I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind."
Lampert also added:
"But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it."
In response to these events, Shopify removed West's website that appeared during a Super Bowl advert. The site had been selling T-shirts with swastikas, violating Shopify's policies.
"Enough is enough. Join the fight against anti-semitism." – Ori Bejerano
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