Scarlett Johansson warns of ‘AI misuse’ after fake Kanye video
Paul Glynn
Culture reporter
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Scarlett Johansson, known for films like Black Widow and Lost in Translation, has urged the US government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use “a top priority”
Scarlett Johansson has warned about the “misuse of AI” after a deepfake video purported to show her and other Jewish celebrities sending a message of protest to Kanye West.
It comes after the rapper recently left the X platform following a tirade of antisemitic posts, and also sold swastika T-shirts on his website.
In the fake video, Johansson and other stars including David Schwimmer and Jerry Seinfeld were depicted wearing a white T-shirt showing the Star of David on a hand giving a one-finger salute, above the word “Kanye”.
The US actress said that while she had no time for “hate speech”, she was as concerned about the threat of AI making us “risk losing hold on reality”.
‘Hate speech multiplied by AI’
In a statement to People, the Black Widow actress said: “It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an AI-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction.
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind.
“But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it.”
She added: “We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”
Likenesses of Steven Spielberg, Adam Sandler and Sacha Baron Cohen were also used without their permission in the video, as well as other stars including Natalie Portman and Lenny Kravitz.
The video carries the slogan: “Enough is enough. Join the fight against anti-semitism.”
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Kanye West and his wife, model Bianca Censori, caused a stir at the recent Grammy Awards, where she removed her coat to reveal a see-through dress
West, now legally known as Ye, repeatedly referred to himself as a “Nazi” and praised Hitler on X before saying he was closing his account on Sunday.
He also appeared in an advert during the Super Bowl directing people to his website, which started selling only one product: T-shirts with swastikas on.
On Tuesday, the site was taken down by Shopify due to policy violations.
On Wednesday, Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy condemned the ad in a note to staff.
“The ad, which was presented as a legitimate online apparel site before and during the airing of the Super Bowl, was switched at some point afterwards, and completely outside of our stations’ control respondents to the commercials were redirected toward the marketing of a wholly appalling product,” he said, Variety reported.
Meanwhile, Ty Dolla $ign, who collaborated with West in 2024 on his latest albums, Vultures 1 and Vultures 2, also distanced himself from the rapper this week, but stopped short of calling him out by name.
“I do not condone any form of hate speech towards anybody,” Ty Dolla $ign wrote on Instagram.
‘Stop being silent’
The new deepfake anti-Kanye video, posted online on Wednesday, is the work of Guy Bar and Ori Bejerano, digital marketers for Israel-based creative agency Gitam BBDO.
Posting the video on Instagram, Bejerano wrote: “It’s time to stop being silent and respond to antisemites like Kanye West in the strongest way possible.”
Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Nicole Lampert said “it was was thrilling to see Jewish stars standing up to Kanye West – if only they had really done it”.
“A viral video of the campaign, which transpired to be AI-generated, only serves to highlight the deafening silence of the celebrity class.”
The issue comes as new figures from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority suggest fake adverts featuring celebrities and public figures remain the most common type of scam adverts appearing online.
