Tom Hanks has once again warned fans about fraudulent advertisements using his likeness. The 68-year-old Oscar-winning actor took to Instagram to alert his 9 million followers about viral commercials falsely featuring him. These ads, which promote “miracle cures” and “wonder drugs”, were created using AI technology without his permission.
In his post, Hanks stated, “There are multiple ads on the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice to promote miracle cures and wonder drugs. These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently, and through AI.” He further emphasized that he has no involvement with the products or treatments being promoted.
Hanks, who manages his type 2 diabetes with the help of his board-certified doctor, warned fans to be cautious, stating, “DO NOT BE FOOLED. DO NOT BE SWINDLED. DO NOT LOSE YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY.”
This is not the first time Hanks has issued such a warning. About a year ago, he alerted fans about a fake dental ad that used an AI-generated version of him to promote a dental plan. At the time, Hanks wrote, “BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it.”
Tom Hanks has previously expressed concern about the growing use of AI in the entertainment industry. In a podcast interview in May 2023, he remarked, “We saw this coming… the ability to take zeros and ones inside a computer and turn it into a face and a character.” He discussed the challenges of intellectual property rights in the era of AI and deepfake technology, noting that performers can now be recreated at any age using these methods.
Hanks has already appeared in films with digitally altered versions of himself. In the 2004 animated film The Polar Express, a CGI version of him was used, and in 2022’s A Man Called Otto, AI technology was employed to de-age him. In his upcoming film, Here, Hanks and Robin Wright were both digitally de-aged to portray younger versions of their characters.
As AI technology continues to evolve, Hanks’ warnings serve as a reminder for fans to stay vigilant against fraudulent use of celebrity likenesses.
