My First Encounter with an AI-Generated Scam Ad On YouTube

Yesterday, I encountered a new form of deception — an AI-generated scam ad on YouTube.

AI-generated scam featuring Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, giving out free XRP. Image by author.

It featured a realistic, computer-generated version of Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, promoting a fake XRP giveaway.

While I avoided falling for it, I was struck by the ad’s sophisticated production and likeness to Mr. Garlinghouse. This represents a new frontier of highly deceptive content enabled by advances in AI video and image generation.

YouTube has a monumental task in policing the content on its platform. But when billions of users’ trust is at stake, effectively moderating harmful AI-manipulated media needs to be a top priority. Slipping through the cracks puts their brand reputation on the line.

AI-generated fake video of Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of XRP, Ripple

As this ad shows, AI creation tools allow scammers to generate incredibly convincing false content. The old adage “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is” is still good advice.