Deepfakes are already swarming the internet. Thanks to developments in AI, particularly OpenAI's Sora app, users can quickly and easily generate videos of celebrities doing any activity imaginable by simply writing a few words for the prompt. It's time to stand aside, David Lynch; the real filmmakers are here.
How are celebrity deepfakes being used?
One of the internet's most controversial personalities, Jake Paul, is already aware of this development. He originally gave his consent as "the first celebrity NIL cameo user," which stands for 'name, age and likeness' but, within days, there were waves of viral videos of him giving makeup tutorials, shoplifting and even being a willing participant in gun crime.
Pansy Ho, MGM China Holdings' Chair and Executive Director, also fell victim to AI deepfakes recently. Rather than using her likeness for goofy content, the offenders created deepfakes of Ho endorsing a financial investment scheme fronting for a scam operation. MGM China released a statement denouncing the videos and urged media outlets and the public from interacting with it whatsoever.
Both of these incidents raised questions about the ethics of deepfakes, but for the sake of brevity, let's focus on one: the potential for illegal advertising.
Can celebrities be used to advertise gambling?
If a person sees a celebrity or trusted figure, they are more likely to check out whatever services they are promoting. As such, sportsbooks have been using ambassadors for a long time to create synergy between fans of the sport and betting platforms. Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Mike Tyson are all household names who have been (and still are) ambassadors for different sports betting companies.
They cannot always be used, though, especially if the advert could appeal to children. In 2025 alone, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has had problems with Betway using Chelsea FC logos; Kwiff using Lewis Hamilton; Sky Bet for Gary Neville; the list could go on. Interestingly, Midnite got in trouble for an AI-generated video of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Are deepfakes illegal?
Creating deepfakes isn't currently illegal in the UK but, depending on how they are used, authorities can take action against them.
Yet is the ASA ready for the potential for deepfakes to be used in marketing? The issue was brought up by Kris Galloway as part of Safer Gambling Week in regards to player protection - how can we protect the public from deepfake advertisements of famous celebrities endorsing illegal and harmful websites?
Influencer culture is deeply ingrained in almost every culture internationally, which means there is a real threat for deepfakes to be used inappropriately. Whether it's a famous K-Pop star, a Brazilian footballing legend or even MGM China's Chair, the potential for the public to be led astray is real.
Offshore operators are hardly sticklers for rules, though. And with how quick, cheap and easy it is to create these deepfake advertisements, even if the ASA can take one of them down, three more can just as easily spring up in their place.
What can we do about deepfakes?
Perhaps in the face of such a hydra-esque enemy, the best plan of action is to educate the public about the threat of deepfakes, like MGM did. Another would be to simply ban any and all celebrity ambassadors until the legislation can catch up to appropriately tackle deepfakes, but that seems unlikely considering how ingrained they are in advertising methods already.
Either way, deepfakes of influential figures are already being used for nefarious advertising purposes and there is still so little public knowledge about the matter. Unfortunately, we may have to wait until we experience a level of deception similar to that of Pansy Ho's deepfake scam videos in the West for any action to be taken.
The term deepfake was coined in 2017 by a Reddit user named "deepfakes" who began posting fake videos of celebrities involved in adult content
