'I had to watch it twice to check it wasn't me': Harris a victim of deepfake video scam

Summary

A senior Irish government official, Minister for Finance Simon Harris, became a victim of a deepfake video scam when a convincing AI-generated clip falsely portrayed him endorsing fraudulent investment products. The video, circulated online after Harris announced a new state-run investment scheme, was so realistic that he had to watch it twice to confirm it was not genuine. Banking sector representatives alerted Harris to the deepfake following its release, highlighting the growing threat of AI-generated content in financial crime. Harris emphasized the difficulty of detecting such content and called on technology companies to take responsibility for preventing the spread of deepfakes on social media platforms.