David Bridges
LeBron James’ legal team is actively working to curtail the dissemination of viral AI videos featuring the celebrated basketball player. According to 404 Media, the law firm representing James, a cease and desist letter has been dispatched to an individual associated with an AI platform that enabled users on Discord to create AI-generated videos of James alongside other NBA stars.
The firm, 404, highlighted that while these videos have been circulating for some time, a particularly bizarre clip has prompted James’ attorneys to take action. This video, which remarkably amassed millions of views on Instagram, depicts a fictional scenario where a pregnant James is being transported in an ambulance, urgently instructing an AI-generated Steph Curry to “come quick our baby is being born.”
The report from 404 indicates that at least three Instagram accounts that had shared this peculiar clip have been removed following the legal action. However, the video remains accessible elsewhere. The founder of the AI platform responsible for the creation of these videos has also commented publicly regarding the cease and desist letter. The specific contents of this letter remain undisclosed, and it’s uncertain whether James’ legal team has reached out to Meta concerning these videos. We have contacted the company for additional information about its regulations.
LeBron James is not the only public figure facing challenges from unauthorized AI representations of themselves. Celebrities are frequently impersonated by social media scammers, who exploit their likenesses to promote dubious products and schemes. We have previously covered such fraudulent activities involving various Fox News personalities that have become rampant on Facebook. Additionally, Jamie Lee Curtis recently made a public appeal to Mark Zuckerberg to remove unauthorized AI content featuring her likeness.
The videos featuring LeBron James are distinctive in nature. Unlike typical deepfake content that may involve fake endorsements, these clips appear to be less about malicious intent and more of a humorous prank designed to go viral, akin to much of the so-called “AI slop” that saturates the internet. However, James, along with many other celebrities, will likely find it increasingly challenging to prevent the proliferation of such deepfakes. Recent testing conducted by Engadget demonstrated that generating images and videos of a “pregnant LeBron James” using AI chatbots is relatively straightforward.
We initially queried ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot to create such an image. While all three chatbots initially declined, citing compliance with their guidelines, when provided with a picture of James and instructed to “make this person eight months pregnant,” Google’s Gemini produced a 7-second clip showing the basketball star cradling a pregnant belly. We have reached out to Google to gain clarity on its policies regarding such content.
In a similar vein, Meta AI demonstrated no hesitance in generating images of “pregnant LeBron James,” promptly producing various renditions. Although these creations lack the detail seen in the original viral video, they underscore the difficulties AI companies face in enforcing effective restrictions against users who find ways to bypass existing safety measures.
Ethan Carter
