Movies

This entrepreneur spots celebrity deepfakes. Can he help average Joes too?

BBG News

Famous personalities often encounter deepfake scenarios, which is a slang term referring to video clips fabricated by artificial intelligence that misrepresent celebrities as if they’ve performed or spoken actions they didn’t approve of.

To safeguard themselves, celebrities such as Steve Harvey, talent agency WME from Beverly Hills, and studios have turned to Vermillio, a Chicago-based firm that monitors the internet for misuse of famous individuals’ digital images and intellectual property. Upon request of their clients, they can remove the offending content.

However, with advancements in artificial intelligence leading to broader accessibility among the general populace, it’s unfortunately becoming more common for ordinary individuals to fall victim to fraudulent activities.

Now, Vermillio says it is offering a version of its service for free to everyone.

The action is taken due to the increasing prevalence of highly persuasive deepfakes on the internet, causing challenges for social media platforms in regulating such content. According to Dan Neely, CEO and co-founder of Vermillio, there were approximately 18,000 deepfakes worldwide in 2019, and this year, there have been an estimated 2 trillion instances of generative content creation.

That leaves average Joes at a growing risk of being impersonated online, with little recourse.

Neely expressed that instead of waiting for governments, legislators, or others to address this issue, let’s take action ourselves. If we believe it’s the right thing to do, then let’s start doing it now.

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Recently, Curtis publicly criticized the CEO of Meta (Mark Zuckerberg) as they failed to address her complaints about a deceptive AI-produced advertisement on Instagram which had been live for several months.

By implementing this strategy, Vermillo is choosing the well-known “free trial” approach – providing limited services at no cost and offering premium features for an extra fee.

Here’s how it works.

With its TraceID technology, the company identifies and marks inappropriate content for its premium customers. Upon request, Vermillio has the ability to send removal notices to platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Furthermore, they offer an opportunity for clients to profit from their data by granting licenses for its use.

Individuals opting for the free plan provide details like their name, birthday, and usernames for platforms such as Instagram or YouTube when they register on these websites.

Later on, Vermillio will leverage the gathered details to construct an “identity model” and search the web for possible risks related to the user’s identity. In this scenario, Vermillio will bring any discrepancies or suspicious activities to the user’s attention. For instance, if a false Instagram account has been created under the user’s name, Vermillio would signal it as a concern.

In this scenario, users are informed about certain types of content and given the freedom to choose what they want to permit or eliminate. If a user prefers Vermillio to initiate takedowns of inappropriate content, they’ll need to upgrade to a premium account, priced at $10 per month, which comes with five monthly takedown requests included.

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The significant increase in deepfaked pictures and videos featuring U.S. Presidential contenders, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, on the internet has sparked concerns about whether misleading content might influence the voting process.

Instead of users going straight to platforms like YouTube or Instagram when they encounter problematic content, Vermillio suggests it’s quicker and more efficient for them to flag such content. This service, they explained, has a network of partners that can swiftly initiate takedowns within an hour, according to the company.

Vermillio leaders pointed out that authentic instances of deepfakes can involve the manipulation of celebrities’ voices for fundraising scams targeting false charities or extremist groups, as well as students fabricating explicit content involving their fellow students at school.

Kathleen Grace, Vermillio’s chief strategy officer, stated that deep fakes are impacting everyday individuals by deceiving them, and it’s not only affecting adults but also teenagers. Therefore, it’s crucial for people to comprehend their situation in this matter, and here’s an easy way to do so.

Grace pointed out that although false social media accounts have been around for some time, the use of generative AI has significantly intensified the issue.

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With progress in artificial intelligence, it’s anticipated that there will be an increase in collaborations between tech firms and studios or talent. However, significant hurdles persist.

As a passionate cinephile, I’ve been following the latest updates from Vermillio closely. They shared that a significant number of individuals currently enjoy their services, though they declined to reveal exact figures. However, by the end of this year, they anticipate a substantial increase, aiming to cater to thousands!

Neely stated that the business isn’t currently earning a profit, and they chose not to disclose their revenue statistics. On the other hand, Time magazine revealed an impressive tenfold rise in revenue from TraceID, Vermillio’s product, between April 2023 and April 2024. The company generates income primarily through its paid services and licensing deals. So far, Vermillio has secured $24 million in funding.

Hollywood companies and talent are navigating artificial intelligence in different ways.

Organizations like the performers union SAG-AFTRA are advocating for increased state and national safeguards against deepfakes. Notable figures, such as Academy Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis, have encountered difficulties in removing a fraudulent Instagram advertisement that portrayed her endorsing a dental product without her consent.

WME announced a partnership with Vermillio last year.

Chris Jacquemin, head of digital strategy at WME, emphasized that since the size of this issue is immense, it’s crucial for rights holders to comprehend whether AI-generated outputs are in any way connected or derived from their data or intellectual property, as this understanding is of significant importance.

Jacquemin noted that TraceID has successfully safeguarded the identities of high-profile individuals worldwide. Expanding its usage to a wider range of applications, he believes, is a significant leap towards making identity protection more accessible for everyone, enabling anyone to monitor the use of their likeness within AI and related platforms.

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2025-07-08 16:31

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