• by Fern Siegel , November 3, 2023

Deepfakes, digitally manipulated images, are a genuine threat to society on numerous levels.

To drive the point home, Steak-umm, the frozen beef maker, created a new campaign, “DeepSteaks” to issue a warning about deep fakes and AI technologies used to defraud people.

The company began its efforts during Covid-19, as misinformation was rife.

The new campaign, created by ad agency Tombras, used a focus group of vegans quizzed about their food choices. They were also offered a new vegan cheesesteak sandwich and filmed eating it.

But when “Borat 2” director Jason Woliner revealed the film results a few minutes later, participants saw themselves endorsing meat! Vegans had been transformed, by their own words, into meat lovers.

“Every American needs to be aware of the dangers of deepfake technology,” said Tombras president Dooley Tombras. “This is a problem that goes beyond celebrities and world leaders. Steak-umm, the most unexpected champion of media literacy, has demonstrated that in this shocking film. Our goal is to not only educate the public, but show just how fast a deepfake can be created and spread.”

The campaign underscores that anyone can fall victim to this dangerous technology. (Tom Hanks, MrBeast and Gayle King reported ads using their likeness were deepfakes.)

The video ends by inviting viewers to visit DeepSteaks.ai to sign a petition for the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act, and learn how to spot, report and safely engage with deepfake technology.

In August, AP reported the Federal Election Commission had begun a process to potentially regulate AI-generated deepfakes in political ads ahead of the 2024 election. Both the Republican National Committee and various GOP primary candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has already used deepfakes to try and persuade voters.