New survey reveals Victorians less trusting of government agencies after rise of generative AI

Deepfake videos of politicians and celebrities alongside fake calls and scam messages are eroding Victorians’ trust in government agencies and social media, new research reveals.

Deepfake videos of politicians and celebrities alongside fake calls and scam messages are eroding Victorians’ trust in government agencies and social media, new research reveals.

The survey, commissioned by Mastercard, revealed the generative AI had left Victorians wary of legitimate messages and calls from government agencies.

Deepfake videos are digitally altered videos produced using AI technology which depict real or imagined people.

Cyber-safety and deepfake educator Stacey Edmonds said the faked videos — including one of the Prime Minister promoting an investment scheme to a news ancho — were used for “nefarious” purposes, often tailored by scammers online.

Ms Edmonds said scammers were getting more sophisticated with the recent rise in deepfakes, which were readily available online.

“Technology has moved faster than our ability to govern it,” she said.

Ms Edmonds said deepfake videos on social media, generated for investment scams, urged people to join an external group on WhatsApp before asking them to make an investment.

Last year, Australians reported losing more than $8m to these cons, with 400 reports made to Scamwatch.

ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said scammers used fake news articles and deepfake videos to trick people into believing celebrities were earning big money through online investment platforms.

One Australian man lost $80,000 in cryptocurrency after falling for a deepfake Elon Musk video on social media, Ms Lowe said.

Despite a large chunk of deepfakes generated online being used to recreate videos of celebrity endorsements, scammers were also targeting the community by cloning voices on phone calls.

Scammers, using AI technology, could take a three-second clip of a person’s voice, produce deepfake audio and clone the voice, Ms Edmonds said.

“People will need to educate themselves. Just like you lock up your house when you leave home ... (the same way) we need to understand the basic digital things to protect themselves,” she said.

Ms Edmonds urged people to stay vigilant against deepfake video and audio online, advising them to look closely for signs of manipulation.

“We have a great pro tip — does the face look weird? Is the mouth not moving? In (deepfake videos) the mouth doesn’t quite match their face,” she said.

“Look for the audios. Does the audio sound a bit disjointed or weird or recorded?

“Are they saying things that person wouldn’t normally say? Anthony Albanese isn’t going to promise returns on the 7.30pm news. So it’s critical thinking, not just digital literacy.”