Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued a public warning urging citizens not to fall for deepfake videos circulating on social media platforms. In a Facebook post on Friday, Prime Minister Lee addressed the emergence of videos depicting him allegedly promoting crypto scams, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also being targeted.
Prime Minister Lee stated that scammers are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to mimic voices and images, taking real footage from official events and manipulating it into convincing yet entirely false videos. One such video portrays Lee in an altered interview with a presenter from the Chinese news network CGTN, discussing a government-sanctioned “transformative investment platform envisioned by Elon Musk.”
Emphasizing the deceptive nature of these videos, Lee urged the public not to respond to messages promising guaranteed returns on investments or giveaways. Instead, he encouraged Singaporeans to report scams and fake news through the government’s official ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp.
This is not the first time Prime Minister Lee has raised concerns about the dangers of AI. In September 2019, he highlighted the increasing difficulty in trusting what is seen or heard due to advancements in AI technology. He reiterated the point in July of the current year, emphasizing that scammers often exploit periods of heightened media coverage to use his image for running crypto scams and fake ads.
Lee expressed on Friday that the use of deepfake technology for spreading disinformation is expected to grow, urging continued vigilance to protect individuals and their loved ones against such scams.