Jake Paul has addressed a series of deepfake videos circulating online that falsely depict him coming out as gay. The AI-generated clips, created using OpenAI's Sora tool, show the YouTuber in a pink ballet costume, wearing makeup, and speaking Arabic. In one video, a fake 'Jake' says: “Feels good to finally breathe and be myself.”
In a TikTok video captioned “AI is getting out of hand”, the 28-year-old responded to the clips, speaking in a camp tone when a friend offered him a drink. He said: “It’s honestly not even a joke.” In a second video, his fiancée Jutta Leerdam expressed disapproval, saying: “I don’t like it, it’s not funny,” noting that some people believe everything they see online.
Fans have expressed concern over the realism of the deepfakes. One wrote: “I still can’t believe I got fooled by an AI Jake Paul video, it’s soooooo over man.” Another commented: “The videos I’ve been seeing online made by the new Sora AI are genuinely concerning... I used to find it easy to differentiate AI videos from real ones. But now, there’s a very high chance we will get scammed.”
Deepfakes are videos, images, or audio clips created using artificial intelligence. While some are for entertainment, they can also be used maliciously. OpenAI's policies prohibit manipulating someone's image without consent, stating: “You may not edit images or videos that depict any real individual without their explicit consent.” Users can report violations via OpenAI's platform.
TikToker @showtoolsai shared tips for spotting deepfakes, including looking for the Sora watermark and checking for AI artefacts like static noise in hair textures. He advised verifying the source of videos and being sceptical of reposts.
