MrBeast warns followers about deepfake scam

Jimmy Donaldson, more widely known as MrBeast, took to social media today to call out a deepfake, or AI-generated video, of his likeness advertising a giveaway for an iPhone 15.

The video, which appears to have been posted on TikTok, shows a doctored version of MrBeast promoting an offer for viewers to receive Apple's latest smartphone for $2. "I'm MrBeast and I'm doing the world's largest iPhone giveaway," the deepfake of the creator says. The ad also featured a link and directed viewers to claim the supposed gift.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

In his post on X, MrBeast warned followers that "lots of people" were receiving the fraudulent ad. The YouTube creator went on to question social media platforms for their allowance of deepfake videos, writing, "Are social media platforms ready to handle the rise of AI deepfakes? This is a serious problem."

MrBeast's message comes just days after actor Tom Hanks posted a similar warning, telling fans that he has "nothing to do" with a video promoting a dental plan and featuring a deepfake version of Hanks as an endorser.

Deepfakes have unquestionably been an issue on the internet for a while now, but the problem is being exacerbated by the rapid growth of AI. Social media platforms have made various attempts to tackle the problem but it's unclear how much rules are enforced.

TikTok, where the ad of MrBeast appears, banned deepfakes in 2020. More recently, the app made it clear to creators that any AI-generated videos must be labelled, or risk being removed. Instagram is apparently planning to enforce such labels, too, so AI content can be more easily identified. Meanwhile, ahead of the upcoming U.S. elections, Google and YouTube have mandated that any "synthetic" or artificially altered political ads must be disclosed.