Richard Wilkins has called out the “disturbing” trend of AI-generated imagery after a fake photo of him being “arrested” in a Sydney park was widely shared on Facebook.
The Channel Nine presenter was handcuffed by three police officers in a viral image that was either Photoshopped or generated using artificial intelligence.
While the picture was clearly doctored, many social media users fell for it.
A visibly distraught Wilkins said Friday that celebrity “deepfake” photos might seem fun and harmless, but this one was no laughing matter for him.
He revealed on Today Extra that he had received hundreds of messages “from around the world” from fans who thought the arrest pic was real.
Richard Wilkins has called out the “disturbing” trend of AI-generated imagery after a fake photo of him being “arrested” in a Sydney park was widely shared on Facebook
The Channel Nine presenter was handcuffed by police officers in a viral image that was either Photoshopped or generated using artificial intelligence
He said the viral photo of his “arrest” was of particular concern as it was part of an elaborate financial scam targeting vulnerable Facebook users.
After host Sylvia Jeffreys realized her own mother had seen the photo and brought it to her attention, Wilkins said he was also inundated with questions.
“I’ve literally had thousands of comments and messages from people all over the world saying, ‘Hey, what’s up?'” he said.
“And while most people think it’s shady and fake, those things lead to other things. These lead to [web] Left and I was allegedly sued by the Bank of Australia for false financial advice.
“It sends people links where to invest and stuff. The thought of someone losing [money] or investing in something that I supposedly recommended is what really upsets me.’
A visibly distraught Wilkins (right, with former Facebook Australia CEO Stephen Scheeler) said on Friday that celebrity “deepfake” photos may seem fun and harmless, but this one was no cause for laughter for him
After presenter Sylvia Jeffreys (right, with David Campbell) revealed her own mother saw the photo and brought it to her attention, Wilkins said he received hundreds of messages “from around the world” from fans who thought the arrest picture was there be real
He continued, “It went from kind of mildly amusing to kind of annoying to kind of really disturbing.”
Wilkins suspected he was being targeted because “I have a reasonably identifiable” face in Australia and any suggestion that he was involved in a scandal “would turn into a binge eating”.
“People definitely have too much time to do stuff like that because it looks real,” he added.
Stephen Scheeler, the former chief executive of Facebook Australia, said high-profile incidents of celebrity deepfakes were becoming more common.
He warned that technology has progressed so far that deepfake videos and voice clips are circulating that are almost identical to the people they claim to be.
“We’re now entering a new era where it’s almost impossible for humans to tell the difference… and it’s only going to get worse,” said Mr. Scheeler.
Wilkins said Nine’s legal team reported the AI images to Facebook’s parent company Meta “months ago,” but nothing was done.
Mr. Scheeler suggested the problem was caused by insufficient human resources at social media companies to deal with fraud and false information.
“My experience with social media platforms is that they are full of good people, but there are only a limited number of them and their platforms are so gigantic,” he said.
It comes after Wilkins spoke to 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live about the fake arrest picture on Thursday morning.
“I don’t know what to do about it. It’s been like this for a while,” he said.
‘It never happened. It’s complete BS. The thought of anyone investing in anything because I recommended it is quite unsettling and I would hate to think of that happening,” he added.
Wilkins (right, with his son Christian) has called in the lawyers about the fake arrest photo
In the fake viral image circulated last week, the Weekend Today presenter looks alarmed as he is arrested and handcuffed by police officers in a Sydney park.
Two of the officers hold his arms while a third appears to be filing a complaint.
But the photo wasn’t all it seemed: the realistic image was actually an AI-generated image, with Wilkins’ face overlaid on a criminal’s body.
His son Christian Wilkins alerted his Instagram followers to the fake photo last Friday, assuring fans his father had not been arrested.
He also made a light-hearted joke about his father’s fashion choices, saying: “For those wondering, yes these posts are fake.
“There’s no way Richard Wilkins would be seen without skinny jeans.”
In the fake viral image circulated last week, the Weekend Today presenter looks alarmed as he is arrested and handcuffed by police officers in a Sydney park