We all know and love Steve Harvey for his epic reactions on Family Feud. The eye rolls the head shakes the "are you serious?" stares – they are pure comedy gold! Remember the contestant who thought the Easter Bunny was an animal starting with "E"? Steve's face pretty much summed up the internet's reaction too. But get this Steve's famous face and voice are now being used for something way less funny and way more messed up: AI scams.
From Laughs to Legit Trouble: Steve Harvey Targeted by AI Deepfake Scammers and He is Not Happy
Yeah it is not just harmless memes anymore. Bad guys are using AI to create fake Steve Harvey videos and audio to rip people off. Imagine scrolling through social media and seeing a video of Steve Harvey telling you about some free government money just waiting to be claimed. Sounds tempting right? That's exactly the scam.
These deepfake videos use AI to mimic Steve's voice and likeness perfectly. They sound just like him. They look just like him. But it is all fake. And Steve Harvey is not laughing this time. He is actually fighting back and heading to Congress to get something done about it. He's advocating for real laws and penalties to stop these AI scammers and the platforms that host their fake stuff .
"Authenticity is My Brand": Why Steve Harvey is Taking a Stand Against AI Impersonation
Steve told CNN that these AI scams using his face are at an "all-time high" in 2025. He is worried because his whole brand is built on being real and trustworthy. People know he is authentic and these scammers are using that trust to trick fans. His main concern is that regular folks are getting hurt falling for these fake promises.
He put it plainly: "It’s freedom of speech it’s not freedom of ‘make me speak the way you want me to speak.’ That’s not freedom that’s abuse." He's not wrong. It is one thing to make funny AI memes and another to use someone's image to steal money from people.
Congress is listening though. They are thinking about new laws like an updated "No Fakes Act." This law would try to punish those creating and hosting unauthorized AI stuff. It could even fine platforms big bucks for each violation – think millions if a fake video goes viral.
Hollywood vs. Deepfakes: Steve Harvey Joins Scarlett Johansson and Other Celebs in the AI Fight
Steve is not alone in this battle. Loads of celebrities are getting hit by AI deepfakes. Think about Scarlett Johansson. She has been dealing with AI likeness issues for a while now. She even had to take legal action against an AI image app using her face without permission. Tom Hanks warned fans about a fake AI video promoting a dental plan using his image. Even MrBeast a huge YouTuber had his face and voice used in a fake iPhone giveaway scam on TikTok.
It is not just about money scams either. Deepfakes are being used to spread fake news create fake celebrity endorsements and even make fake porn using celebrity faces without their permission. It is a wild west out there in the AI world.
Hollywood is taking notice . Unions like SAG-AFTRA made AI protection a big deal during the recent actors' strike. They want rules in place to protect actors' digital likenesses. Companies like Vermillio AI are even popping up offering services to track and takedown deepfakes for celebrities. It's becoming a whole new industry just to fight AI impersonation.
Can We Stop the Deepfake Deluge? The Tech is Evolving Faster Than the Law
The big problem is AI tech is moving super fast and laws are struggling to keep up. For every deepfake takedown there are probably ten more popping up. Companies like Vermillio use "fingerprinting" tech to try and spot AI content online but it is a constant game of whack-a-mole. And for every celebrity who can afford AI protection what about regular people? It's getting harder and harder to know what is real online and what is fake.
As Steve Harvey said "The sooner we do something I think the better off we’ll all be. Because I mean why wait? How many people we got to watch get hurt by this before somebody does something?" It's a good question. We need to figure out how to protect ourselves from AI deepfakes before things get even more out of control. This is not just a celebrity problem it affects everyone online.
Celebrities Battling AI Deepfakes: A Growing List
- Steve Harvey: Targeted in government fund scams using AI voice and likeness.
- Scarlett Johansson: Faced AI-generated protest videos and AI image app using her face.
- Tom Hanks: Deepfake video promoting fake dental insurance plan.
- MrBeast: AI video promoting fraudulent iPhone giveaway on TikTok.
- Drake & The Weeknd: AI-generated song "Heart on My Sleeve" imitating their voices.
- Brad Pitt: AI used in romance scam that defrauded a woman of $850,000.