‘It’s not me, it’s just my face’: the models who found their likenesses had been used in AI propaganda

Synthesia’s technology is aimed at clients looking to create marketing material or internal presentations, and any deepfakes are a breach of its terms of use. But this means little to the models whose likenesses are behind the digital “puppets” that were used in propaganda videos such as those apparently supporting Burkina Faso’s dictator. The Guardian tracked down five of them.

“I’m in shock, there are no words right now. I’ve been in the [creative] industry for over 20 years and I have never felt so violated and vulnerable,” said Mark Torres, a creative director based in London, who appears in the blue shirt in the fake videos.

“I don’t want anyone viewing me like that. Just the fact that my image is out there, could be saying anything – promoting military rule in a country I did not know existed. People will think I am involved in the coup,” Torres added after being shown the video by the Guardian for the first time.