Deepfake videos of the Royal Family are on the rise as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue to campaign against the use of some forms of artificial intelligence.
AI-generated videos have gone viral with clips featuring the late Queen playing video games alongside Princess Diana, as well as shoplifting and raping.
Other videos include Diana serving esquites, a traditional Mexican street snack made of grilled corn, and her professional wrestling debut as she entered the ring.
The voices in the videos are AI-generated, made to sound just like the late royals’ posh tone.
The AI voice of the late Queen can be heard saying: “Run heavy, but I keep it cocked. Jewels in the pocket, tea kettle locked.
“Came out the palace straight to the block. Slippers on concrete, still I won’t stop.”
There have also been plenty of AI-generated videos featuring other prominent royals, including King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate.
Harry and Meghan were recently motivated to join celebrities in signing a letter calling for a ban on the development of “superintelligent” AI.
Prince Harry stated that ‘the future of AI should serve humanity, not replace it’
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GETTYThe letter, addressed to multiple tech companies, including Google, Meta and OpenAI, called for a “prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in”.
It explained the concerns about superintelligence, “ranging from human economic obsolescence and disempowerment, losses of freedom, civil liberties, dignity and control, to national security risks and even potential human extinction”.
Prince Harry noted: “The future of AI should serve humanity, not replace it.
“I believe the true test of progress will be not how fast we move, but how wisely we steer. There is no second chance.”
Prince Harry has called for the future of AI to be used ‘wisely’
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GETTYThe new generation of royals faces fresh challenges with the development of AI, amid campaigns of misinformation circulating online.
Last year, intelligence agents in Wales identified 45 social media accounts, linked to Russia, allegedly focused on amplifying online rumours and conspiracies about Prince Kate’s absence from public life.
British authorities alleged: “[Those involved were behind] a vast malign online network, also commonly known as Doppelganger, which plagues social media with fake posts, counterfeit documents and deepfake material.
“These deceitful tactics are designed to mask the truth around Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and distract from the true nature of the war.”
The letter, sent to prominent tech companies like Meta, called for ‘prohibition on the development of superintelligence’
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GETTY
Director of the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute at Cardiff University, Martin Innes, told NBC News and the New York Times: “It’s not as though these Russia-linked accounts were driving the story; they were jumping on it.
“It was already being framed in conspiracy terms, so foreign actors don’t need to set that frame; that’s already there to exploit.
“It’s about destabilisation. It’s about undermining trust in institutions: Government, monarchy, media, everything.
“These kinds of stories are ideal vehicles by which they do that.”
