Ashley James Speaks Out Against AI Weight-Loss Scam
Former Made in Chelsea star Ashley James, now a regular on ITV's This Morning, has publicly addressed a distressing AI-generated scam that misused her image to promote a fraudulent weight loss treatment. The 38-year-old television personality expressed deep upset upon discovering that her face had been digitally manipulated to appear in a video claiming she lost nearly two stone in just one month.
Horrifying Discovery on Live Television
During a recent episode of This Morning, Ashley revealed the scam to hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, showing them the realistic AI video that depicted her sitting on the show's set and chatting with them. She emphasized that she would never endorse any weight loss product and wanted viewers to know the advertisement was entirely false. Ashley stated, "People kept forwarding it to me but I couldn't view it. This is you interviewing me on that sofa. Isn't that so scary? That's not me speaking, that's not you speaking and a company is on these social media websites with a link encouraging people to buy weight loss treatment."
She further explained her distress, highlighting how the scam exploited the credibility of This Morning and her own voice, potentially leading people to purchase a made-up product. "I feel so upset about it because I would never, ever promote any weight loss product but the fact that they're using credibility of This Morning and your voice, it's so sad to me that people will be buying this product which is completely made up," Ashley added.
Wider Celebrity Impact and Similar Scams
Ashley James is not alone in facing such AI-driven fraud. Last year, businesswoman Sara Davies, known from Dragons' Den and as a presenter, warned her social media followers about similar scams using her image to sell slimming pills. She wrote on Instagram, "Yes this is a SCAM. They are all scams... there are dozens of them going round and every day I’m hearing anecdotally from different friends, 'So and so has asked me to get you to check with Sara if those slimming pills she’s invested in are any good'." Sara expressed devastation over people being scammed out of money or ingesting unknown pills, noting it "boils my blood" that others might believe she endorsed such products.
Similarly, Coronation Street actress Sue Cleaver, now a regular on Loose Women, shared her mortification after learning that individuals had spent over £100 on items based on scam videos falsely attributed to her. She said, "It's mortifying, the amount of messages I have had on Instagram, saying: 'I've spent over £100 on these items based on that [the scam videos].' All I can do is apologise, I have put things out on social media, as me, saying: 'It's not me, if it's not off my official site with a tick, I guarantee it's not going to be me.'"
Growing Concerns Over AI Misuse
Sue Cleaver also voiced broader fears about the lack of protection against AI manipulation, stating, "At the moment, there is nothing to protect any of us. We're at the very beginning of AI... and it terrifies me. You know, it actually makes me feel physically sick when I see it and my heart sinks when I get a message through saying: 'Oh, just so you know, this is on Facebook, is this you?' and I think: 'Oh, not again! Not again' because all they do is close it down and open up another one." This incident underscores the urgent need for stronger regulations and public awareness to combat the rising tide of AI-generated scams targeting celebrities and consumers alike.
