Tom Hanks Fumes Over AI Ads Using His Image to Sell 'Wonder Drugs and Miracle Cures': 'I Have Type 2 Diabetes and Only Work With My Certified Doc!'
Tom Hanks issued a warning over AI ads using his image to promote 'miracle cures'.
Aug. 30 2024, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Tom Hanks was outraged over his image being used for AI ads promoting "wonder drugs" and "miracle cures".
The Oscar winner warned fans about the viral snake oil ads using his likeness while insisting he would never endorse such products, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Hanks made the 'public service announcement' on his Instagram.
Hanks, 68, sent a warning out to his 9.5 million Instagram followers on Thursday night. The "Public Service Announcement from Tom Hanks" was captioned "EXTRA! EXTRA!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!"
The post read: "There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs. These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI."
Hanks insisted he only works with his 'board certified doctor' to manage his type 2 diabetes.
His PSA continued: "I have nothing to do with these posts or the products and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures. I have type 2 diabetes, and I ONLY work with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment."
Hanks insisted: "DO NOT BE FOOLED. DO NOT BE SWINDLED. DO NOT LOSE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY."
Hanks had to warn about an AI video using his image to promote a dental plan in October 2023.
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This isn't the first time the beloved Forrest Gump star has had to warn fans over his name and likeness being used to promote sketchy health products. In October 2023, Hanks was forced to issue a warning over AI ads using his image to promote a "dental plan".
He shared a still image from the video ad that featured an AI-generated image of him in a black suit.
The post read: "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."
The 68-year-old spoke about the "legal ramifications" AI and deepfake technology pose to the entertainment industry during an appearance on Adam Buxton's podcast in May 2023.
He said: "We saw this coming. We saw that there was going to be this ability to take zeros and ones inside a computer and turn it into a face and a character. Now that has only grown a billionfold since then, and we see it everywhere."
"I can tell you that there [are] discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice – and everybody else's – being our intellectual property."
He previously warned about the "legal ramifications" of AI technology in the entertainment industry.
He continued: "Right now if I wanted to, I could get together and pitch a series of seven movies that would star me in them in which I would be 32 years old from now until kingdom come. Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deepfake technology."
"I could be hit by a bus tomorrow, and that's it, but performances can go on and on and on and on. And outside of the understanding that it's been done with AI or deepfake, there'll be nothing to tell you that it's not me and me alone. And it's going to have some degree of lifelike quality. That's certainly an artistic challenge, but it's also a legal one."
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