AI Deepfake of Eckart von Hirschhausen Endorses Fake Medications

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Eckart von Hirschhausen, a German physician and TV host, had AI-generated deepfake videos falsely showing him endorsing weight loss, heart, and potency drugs. These deepfakes deceived consumers into buying ineffective or harmful medications, causing financial and health risks and reputational damage, prompting him to call for stricter AI regulation.[AI generated]

Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?

The article explicitly mentions AI-generated videos (deepfakes) that impersonate a person to promote medications, causing deception and harm to individuals who trust and act on this misinformation. This constitutes harm to people (health-related harm) due to the AI system's use in creating misleading content. Therefore, this qualifies as an AI Incident because the AI system's use has directly led to harm through misinformation and potential health risks.[AI generated]
AI principles
Transparency & explainabilitySafetyPrivacy & data governanceAccountabilityRobustness & digital securityRespect of human rightsHuman wellbeing
Industries
Healthcare, drugs, and biotechnologyMedia, social platforms, and marketing
Affected stakeholders
ConsumersOther
Harm types
Economic/PropertyPhysical (injury)Reputational
Severity
AI incident
Business function:
Marketing and advertisement
AI system task:
Content generation

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