A North Carolina state senator is suing Whirlpool and a major global marketing firm after discovering her image and voice were manipulated with AI for an award-winning ad campaign in Brazil—without her knowledge or consent. The Washington Post reports DeAndrea Salvador only learned of the video after receiving a series of cryptic emails with subject lines like "Is this you?" and "AI manipulation."
A journalist's query prompted her to search online, where she discovered her 2018 TED Talk was altered to make it appear as though she was talking about energy burdens in São Paulo, Brazil, rather than North Carolina. The manipulated video—which touted energy-efficient appliances, Courthouse News reported in August when the suit was first filed—won two prestigious awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival before questions about its authenticity arose. Some have described the awards as the Oscars of advertising.
Salvador's lawsuit claims the unauthorized use of her likeness could harm her reputation as both a lawmaker and energy affordability advocate. Whirlpool and Omnicom, the parent company of the Brazilian ad agency that created the video, have asked that her lawsuit be dismissed. They argue Salvador's reputation hasn't been harmed, and that the video wasn't broadcast in Brazil.
DM9, the agency subsidiary behind the video, has apologized and returned its Cannes awards, admitting to using AI. Cannes Lions has also announced new standards to ensure "creative integrity" in entrants. Meanwhile, Salvador says the incident has made her wary of public speaking engagements that will be filmed. "I now have moments of hesitation," she says.
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