‘It’s deception on another level’ – Thami Ngubeni as deepfake video using her face makes the rounds on social media [VIDEO]  

South African broadcaster and actress Thami Ngubeni has distanced herself from a deepfake video purporting to be her encouraging people to invest in dodgy financial schemes.

On Thursday, the eNCA anchor put out a cautioning statement warning many of her followers on social media to ignore a video circulating on various platforms in which her likeness is used to promote financial schemes.

Warning & Disclaimer: I categorically distance myself from any video currently circulating that encourages individuals to invest in specific financial schemes. This broadcast never happened. It’s deepfake. It’s a scam. Please exercise caution with any video featuring my likeness… pic.twitter.com/c0LM7BI75o

— Thami Ngubeni (@LifeWithThami) November 28, 2024

Speaking to The Citizen on Friday morning, Ngubeni said she was first made aware of the video by a former colleague who had an interest in investing in what the video was selling.

“I hadn’t seen the video at that point. The next day a journalist called me, her mother had seen the video and wanted to invest. She knew immediately it was false and sent the video to me,” averred Ngubeni.

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What’s deep fake?

Deepfake content includes images, videos and audio edited or generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools which may depict real or non-existent people.

In 2023 long-standing SABC anchor Leanne Manas’ images were used to promote schemes similar to those linked to Ngubeni.

“There are also issues of ethics that must be considered as part of the call for stricter AI usage regulation,” said Ngubeni.

In an article first published in The Conversation, Junior Lecturer in Mercantile Law at Stellenbosch University Layckan Van Gensen wrote that it was worrying that South Africa’s government hasn’t yet taken any legislative steps to combat deepfake.

Earlier this year the UK’s The Guardian reported that nearly 4 000 celebrities were victims of deep fake pornography.

US singer Taylor Swift was also a victim of the AI tool in which her images were nefariously used, depicting her in a pornographic light.

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Deception

Ngubeni doesn’t know who used her image to create the video but said she reached out to Facebook, which hasn’t assisted in getting the video removed.

“I’ve reported it to Facebook but they are horribly inefficient in dealing with this and have not shown the will to fight this,” said Ngubeni.

“Previous attempts by other colleagues to get assistance from Facebook have proven futile. This is an issue of global concern.”

Ngubeni said the use of her image highlights the danger of having an unregulated playing field as far as AI is concerned.

“If left unchecked, the destruction in the future could be catastrophic, impacting the rights, credibility and dignity of individuals and nations. It’s deception on another level.”

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