WeChat targets celebrity scams in latest crackdown on misuse of generative AI

WeChat, the ubiquitous social media app operated by Tencent Holdings, has vowed to combat the growing number of advertising scams using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to create knockoffs of celebrities, from Chinese doctor Zhang Wenhong to Hong Kong actor Raymond Wong Pakming.

The app took targeted action against “violations that misuse AI to impersonate well-known personalities for inappropriate marketing purposes and (to) maliciously attract traffic,” according to a WeChat announcement on Sunday .

WeChat said it removed 532 examples of such content and closed 209 accounts using celebrity deepfakes in marketing videos, adding that it is committed to stepping up efforts against the practice.

“(We will) further improve our capabilities and levels of technology governance and maintain a healthy ecosystem,” WeChat said in the statement, while urging content creators to comply with the platform’s regulations and rules.

The crackdown comes amid increased attention to deepfake video content on social media, particularly the use of AI to impersonate public figures to promote products.