Not even Joe Rogan deserves this treatment.
Joe Schmoe
An advertisement featuring a deepfaked Joe Rogan is being used to promote a scientifically dubious brand of male enhancement product on TikTok, a worrying use of the technology that looks and sounds far too convincing for our liking.
Initially uncovered by TikTok ad strategist Jimmy Farley, the ad features an AI version of the infamous podcaster, who is being made to shill an allegedly libido-boosting maca root powder that, per the video’s phony Rogan, is “literally increasing size and making a different down there.”
“My first time seeing a deepfake ad in the wild on TikTok,” Farley wrote. “How tf is this legal?”
Supplemental
To the untrained eye and ear, this video looks and sounds just like the real Rogan, especially considering he’s wont to sling all kinds of snake oil, including products produced by Onnit, a supplement company he co-owns.
But if you listen closely, you can detect the robotic tone characteristic of AI-generated speech, a special kind of soullessness that makes it so uncanny.
Unfortunately, if this video appeared in the endless scroll of a Rogan fan’s TikTok feed, they likely wouldn’t be paying close enough attention to recognize it as a fake right away.
Law And Order
While it’s pretty hilarious on its face that someone is using AI to impersonate a podcaster known for his unique blend of libertarianism, New Age BS, and comedic devil’s advocacy, the fact remains that using another’s likeness to sell a product without their consent is illegal — even if the person in question tried to convince his followers to eat horse dewormer to prevent COVID-19.
As PCGamer argued, Rogan is indeed the victim here, whether you like the guy or not. After all, neither he nor anyone else deserves to have their identity stolen — especially in such a dystopian manner.
More on deepfakes: The Deepfake Porn Scandal Is Tearing the Streaming Community Apart