Influencers Face Deepfake Threats as AI Cloning Becomes Rampant
Influencers and micro-celebrities are increasingly becoming targets of deepfake technology, which is being used to create unauthorized advertisements using their likenesses. Karen Flowers, a beauty influencer from Virginia, discovered a deepfake ad featuring her image promoting a life insurance company, despite having no affiliation with the product. This issue is part of a broader trend where rogue entities use AI to create fake ads, often for financial scams. The FBI reported that such scams cost Americans $893 million in 2025. Influencers like Kara Mendelsohn have also had their images misused, highlighting the challenges in combating these scams due to the anonymity and complexity of the networks involved. 
