This deepfake Brad Pitt scam is a cautionary tale on the dangers of AI catfishing

Whether we like it or not, AI technology is rapidly advancing and while regulation is slowly catching up, we're still in a 'Wild West' era ripe for scams. One of the most recent cautionary tales is about a woman who fell in love with an AI Brad Pitt – little did she know her whirlwind romance would cost her over €800,000.

As we've seen with the best deepfake examples, to the untrained eye these AI mirages can be deceptively real – especially when you're blinkered by love. Absurdity aside, it's a sobering reflection of the dark side of AI technology and a reminder that we should be vigilant in protecting those who are vulnerable to AI scams.

The story originally aired on the French TV programme TF1, where 53-year-old Anne shared her experience. Over a year and a half, she was manipulated by scammers, parting with a total of €830,000 which she believed was aiding Mr Pitt in his alleged kidney cancer treatment. Using extremely nefarious tactics such as love bombing and even a marriage proposal, the scammers weaved an intricate story to manipulate Anne, even leading her to divorce her own husband. "There are few men who write to you like that. I loved the man I was talking to," she told TF1, “At first, I thought it was fake, but I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

To add to the 'realism' of the absurd story, scammers made fake AI images of Pitt, including various pictures of him in a hospital bed. While some photos may appear obviously edited to some, in tandem with the scammers' manipulative tactics they only deepened the emotional turmoil of Anne's situation. She later admitted on a popular French YouTube show "I just got played, I admit it, and that's why I came forward, because I am not the only one."

A spokesperson for Pitt recently told E! News that it was "awful that scammers take advantage of fans' strong connection with celebrities" warning fans not to respond to unsolicited messages, "especially from actors who have no social media presence." While the unusual tale has been met with mockery, it's important not to overlook the manipulation at hand – AI scams like this aren't uncommon and we should be looking at the situation with empathy. This is one of many AI controversies that prove we still have a long way to go with AI regulation if we want to protect current and future generations.