Scarlett Johansson, AI Enthusiasts Slam Anti-Kanye West Video That Used Celeb Deepfakes

Scarlett Johansson and other prominent public figures have voiced strong opinions about an Israeli AI author’s effort to fight Kanye West’s racist comments with non-consensual star deepfakes.

Last year, Kanye West engaged in yet another neo-Nazi rut and published a lot of racist material on X. A consistently bizarre TV ad for his website clothing store was shown during the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. All the items from the business except for one, a t-shirt emblazoned with a symbol, were taken out immediately after the advertising dropped.

In response, pro-Israel designer Ori Bejerano created and released an AI-generated film featuring fake versions of Israeli artists, including Johansson, Woody Allen, and actually OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, all wearing white t-shirts mimicking the style of Ye’s$ 20 shirt—only these featured the Star of David giving one-finger chants to the singer.

However, this action sparked discussion: The false versions of the people depicted in the video were created without the permission of the portrayed stars. And this is where some drew a line—with Johansson, as usual, in the anti-deepfake before.

I am a Jewish girl who doesn’t tolerate racism or love statement of any kind, she told , but I also strongly believe that the potential for love conversation multiplied by A. I. is a much greater risk than any one person who takes responsibility for it.

Mack Murdoc, a photographer and social ambassador for NASA, also raised the moral concerns of using AI for propaganda.

” Pushing boundaries is necessary, but there’s a line. AI-generated videos steal voices, manipulate narratives, and normalize deception”, Murdoc replied in a comment to Bejerano’s original post on Instagram.

” Fighting hate with lies makes us no better. This video, despite its good intent, violates rights, freedoms, and integrity. I can’t support this”, Murdoc said.

This wasn’t Johansson’s first AI-related battle. The actress had an argument with OpenAI over a voice assistant who had unintentionally mimicked her voice. ” When I heard the demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine”, she said in a statement. ” In a time where we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe there are questions that deserve absolute clarity”.

She also complained about celebrities ‘ photos appearing online in 2018 that had been Photoshopped.

Platforms like Shopify have already removed Ye’s merchandise, while advocacy groups including the Anti-Defamation League condemned his actions. And actual celebrities, including David Schwimmer and Isla Fisher, spoke out against his antisemitic content without resorting to AI-generated content.