Artificial intelligence is no longer something that one can take or leave in the workplace. Quite simply, these tools are indispensable time savers that can automate repetitive tasks, summarize lengthy documents, and analyze complex data sets. And since AI can drastically enhance productivity, these tools give humans more time for the creative and strategic side of work.
Unfortunately, danger also lurks on the AI workplace horizon in the form of elaborate deepfakes. In 2024, a Ferrari executive found themselves fending off a voice-cloning fraudster who impersonated CEO Benedetto Vigna, and even more advanced efforts are now invading the marketing realm. As the below incidents show, vigilance is vital in this AI-enhanced world, lest humans be left holding the ball of a costly scam.
Deepfakes So Convincing They Can Fool Marketers
Renowned marketing consultant Mark Schaefer recently admitted to being one of thousands of people fooled by a deepfake video that claimed to show Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivering one of his trademark inspirational talks. This was an authentic-looking crypto-scam event that starred a digital clone of Huang on a livestream. The AI-rendered forgery video hijacked search and social rankings, subsequently prompting Schaefer to warn how “authenticity in branding now demands proof.”
The fact that an experienced marketing professional was deceived by such a sophisticated attack is sobering. It underscores how consumers and companies must exercise extreme caution to verify the truth and weed out scams. Further, businesses must realize that intricate AI fakes are part of the competition, and they can harm the bottom line elsewhere, as shown below.
Another alarming example: Fraudsters also cloned the voice of Mark Reed, CEO of WPP, the largest global advertising company. They used this “voice” in a deepfake scam deployed via WhatsApp and a Microsoft Teams meeting. Fortunately, the scam artists’ efforts failed to fool Reed’s direct reports, but this case further emphasizes how even companies who create marketing content are vulnerable to AI manipulation.
A bit more on that Ferrari story mentioned above: Most of us are surely familiar with the antics of fraudsters who attempt to mimic the CEOs of our own workplaces. Those notorious gift-card text messages usually don’t work these days, but the Ferrari scam was so elaborate that the fraudster used generative AI to closely imitate Benedetto Vigna’s Southern Italian accent in a follow-up call to urge the immediate signing of documents.
Fortunately, the executive who took that call tested the scam artist on a bit of trivia that only Vigna would know, and financial disaster was averted.
Conclusion: Avoiding Real Disaster in Our AI-Enhanced World
These examples illustrate how AI might be advancing faster than the ability to manage its risks and consequences. In response to this Wild Wild West, businesses must establish safeguards against deepfake scams and train both leaders and workers accordingly. Ultimately, AI hazards can be avoided in workspaces while not losing sight of the truth, which will always be human.
