Deepfake Technology Used in Controversial Whirlpool Ad

Deepfake technology has sparked ethical concerns following its use in a controversial Whirlpool advertisement. The North Carolina state senator, DeAndrea Salvador, was shocked to discover that a clip from her 2018 TED Talk had been manipulated without her consent.

In the original talk, she discussed energy costs affecting low-income Americans, but in the Whirlpool ad, her words were altered to discuss low-income residents in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Salvador's TED Talk, which highlighted the struggles of families choosing between paying energy bills and other essentials, was misrepresented to promote Whirlpool products, leading to her filing a lawsuit against Whirlpool and the advertising firm Omnicom Group.

Salvador expressed her distress, stating, 'They used me as an authoritative figure and turned me into a talking head for Whirlpool.' The advertisement won two awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival, including the Grand Prix in the creative data category, before questions arose regarding its content.

Following scrutiny, Whirlpool officials stated they were unaware of the manipulations and reached out to Salvador after the issue was highlighted at Cannes. Omnicom’s subsidiary, DM9, later admitted to using AI to alter the video and issued an apology, but not before returning the awards due to inconsistencies.

Salvador argues that the video could damage her reputation and undermine her advocacy for energy affordability. Experts like Andrea Hickerson, dean of the journalism school at the University of Mississippi, pointed out that AI manipulation is surprisingly common and hard to detect, particularly affecting individuals who are not widely known.

Derek Leben, a business ethics professor, noted that this incident could be an example of shadow AI, where employees use technology without managerial approval. The rise of deepfake technologies poses significant risks, as anyone with footage online could have their likeness misused, according to Hany Farid, a computer science professor at UC Berkeley.

Salvador, who has previously worked on technology to aid low-income communities, called for safeguards with the rapid innovation in AI, stressing that while she supports its use, it must be approached with caution.

After weeks of searching for the manipulated video online, Salvador continues to seek its removal, highlighting the growing challenges posed by deepfake technology across various sectors, including media and advertising.