Pair arrested for faking AI video of China basketball star Wang accusing coach of corruption
Two 32-year-old suspects, surnamed Lin and Chen, detained over video using images and manipulated voice of Wang Siyu, head coach Gong Luming
Two men have been arrested after using AI to create a fake video of Chinese basketball star Wang Siyu accusing head coach Gong Luming of corruption, with some social media users fooled into thinking it was real.
The five-minute video, titled “China women’s basketball star Wang Siyu denounces head coach Gong Luming”, has circulated online for nearly a month, with one reposted version gaining around 70,000 likes and more than 10,000 comments in two days.
State media said the pair, both 32 years old and surnamed Lin and Chen, had been detained for using artificial intelligence to create and spread fabricated videos for profit.
The two suspects, who had all their social media accounts closed, had previously worked in e-commerce but turned to producing AI-generated videos to chase trending topics and make quick profits by “building accounts” for resale.
According to authorities, they used AI software to write a fake script and created images of Wang claiming to be exposing corruption in the game.
They then combined images and videos of the coach and player from the internet with the fabricated script, released the video on social media accounts, and after gaining traffic, sold the accounts for just 4,000 yuan (US$568.11).