By Dailymail.Com Tech Correspondent Rob Waugh
Updated May 13, 2023 18:16, May 13, 2023 18:26
A film production company has been targeted by scammers using AI-generated Benedict Cumberbatch voice “clones,” the company has revealed to DailyMail.com.
Bob William, writer and director of Malaga, Spain-based Peabody Films, said the eerily persuasive Benedict Cumberbatch called the company about a film deal.
AI Cumberbatch was “100 percent voice,” William said, adding that the company was initially convinced Cumberbatch was a real actor.
When “Cumberbatch” and his agents refused to meet in person, they realized the ruse and escaped loss.
But as AI is opening the door to new tools that bad actors can use to steal money from unsuspecting people, many others are falling for similar scams.
“At first, this email seemed like a dream come true. Benedict Cumberbatch has clearly read the script for our upcoming film and is interested in discussing potential roles. I was there,” said William.
“As we read on, we couldn’t believe our luck.
“One of the most talented actors of our time contacted us and expressed interest in our project.
“I was shocked and disappointed to learn that I was the victim of an AI program masquerading as a famous actor.”
The director says this is “an example of the increasing sophistication of AI technology and its potential for deception.”
William said he first received an email from someone claiming to be an agent of the Avengers star, who then advised him to set up the phone.
When the number calling seemed to have too many digits, he realized it was a scam. And he was very reluctant to meet the fake “Cumberbatch” in person either.
The technology to disguise people’s voices already exists and is already being used by scammers.
Cybersecurity firm McAfee has found that 10% of the population has been targeted by AI voice scams across the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and India.
It is also highly effective, with 78% of those targeted reportedly suffering losses as a result.
Earlier this year, Microsoft researchers demonstrated a text-to-speech AI model that could synthesize anyone’s speech from a three-second audio sample.
This model VALL-E retains the emotional tone of the speaker and allows them to say anything. Its creators suggest that the model can be used to create scripted audio content by other AI models.
William said the fake “Cumberbatch” was 100 percent convincing.
“It was the voice. There is no question about it,” he continued.
“The AI must have been the source.
The company had several discussions with Cumberbatch afterward, William said, noticing “some red flags”, including a reluctance to meet in person.
“There were also strange demands, such as paying a registration fee of £200,000 before meeting in person.”
William said he challenged the fake agent about where he had seen the script for his new movie “Emma,” which had not yet been widely distributed.
The question itself was not admitted.
When he called the actual company’s exchange, he asked for James Hayes, but was told no one by that name worked for the company.
William said he believed he was targeted because he was a small production company and didn’t have the resources to check the details.
He said he would notify the company of Conway Van Gelder, who is from the alleged agent, and was considering reporting the attack to the police.
Alexei Kitrov, founder and president of AI and fraud expert ID R&D, told DailyMail.com that fake images and voices generated by AI are already widely used in corporate fraud.
“We conducted a survey of corporate participants there,” he said. We found that 42% of them had witnessed deepfakes being used for fraud within their job duties. So it’s real and it’s already there. ”
Peabody Films is an independent production company founded by leading British filmmaker Barney Platts Mills, known for award-winning films such as Bronco Bullfrog and Private Road.
Since Pratts Mills passed away in 2021, the company has produced feature films, including The Way We Are and The Way We Were, due for release in 2024.
