29-12-2023 (SINGAPORE) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore has issued a cautionary message urging the public not to fall prey to deepfake videos circulating on social media platforms. The warning comes in response to the emergence of a video featuring the Prime Minister falsely promising guaranteed returns on investments, part of a disturbing trend of AI-generated content targeting public figures.
In a Facebook post on Friday morning, Prime Minister Lee disclosed his awareness of multiple videos circulating, particularly those “purporting to promote cryptocurrency scams.” He revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had also been a target of such deepfake videos. These malicious actors utilize artificial intelligence technology to replicate the voices and images of public figures, manipulating authentic footage to create deceptive videos.
One notable example is a doctored video depicting Prime Minister Lee engaged in an interview with a presenter from the Chinese news network CGTN, labeled “Leaders Talk.” The video is manipulated to make it appear as though he is endorsing a government-sanctioned “transformative investment platform envisioned by Elon Musk.”
Addressing the public, Lee emphasised, “If you see or receive these scam videos promising guaranteed returns on investments or ‘giveaways,’ please do not respond to them!” He further urged Singaporeans to report scams and fake news through the government’s official ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp.
This incident is not the first time Prime Minister Lee has expressed concerns about the risks associated with AI. In September 2019, he highlighted the growing challenge of discerning reality as AI becomes more sophisticated. In a July 2023 post, he warned of scammers capitalising on periods of heightened media coverage to propagate cryptocurrency scams and fake advertisements using his image.
