{
  "id": 17117944,
  "title": "AI deepfakes pose risks to consumers and voters, experts warn",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/ai-deepfakes-pose-risks-to-consumers-and-voters-experts-warn",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-29T19:45:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/deepfakes-artificial-intelligence-consumer-risks-fraud/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Advances in artificial intelligence are making the creation of deepfakes easy, raising concerns that malicious actors could flood individuals with highly realistic scams and spread misinformation. These deepfakes, which can mimic the voices and appearances of public figures, including celebrities and political candidates, can deceive the public in various ways, according to security experts. Doppel, a social engineering defense platform for detecting AI-enabled threats, found that fewer than 10% of people can recognize an audio deepfake. In a test, only 8% of participants realized an AI agent was calling them, while 92% thought they were speaking to a human. The ability of AI to produce deepfakes in large quantities is a significant issue in politics, as AI-generated advertisements featuring deepfakes of politicians have emerged ahead of midterms. In one incident in Texas, an AI-manipulated video targeting a Senate candidate falsely accused the Democrat of sexual misconduct. When people cannot distinguish between legitimate content and deepfakes, they question everything, warns Michael Kaiser, CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns. Political campaigns have spent over $137 million on AI-generated ads, some featuring deepfakes of candidates, according to the Wesleyan Media Project. AI is increasingly used in the 2026 midterms, with some creators not disclosing the use of AI. Even when someone suspects an ad is AI-generated or includes a deepfake, the visuals can still influence opinions, notes Travis Ridout, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project. Deepfakes are synthetic media that replicate an individual's or public figure's image and likeness, such as a voice or a political figure appealing to voters. Raul Liive, a deepfake expert at Veriff, an AI-powered identity verification company, notes that making deepfakes is now easier and faster than ever. In one example, a purported friend calls and asks for a loan, an unusual request from someone the recipient knows. Other scams involve medical emergencies, where a caller claims to have a medical bill and urgently needs help. Veriff's research found that 70% of people misidentified a deepfake video as real. AI-generated deepfakes are becoming more convincing, making it harder to spot them by relying on unreliable visual cues, such as unnatural skin or oddities in a subject's hair or teeth. This erosion of trust in content could undermine confidence in legitimate information and the system as a whole.",
  "summary": "\"When you can't tell what's legitimate, you question everything,\" said one cybersecurity expert focused on political campaigns.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}