This Video Of Messi Speaking English Is AI-generated
The Claim
A video shows Lionel Messi speaking in English.
News posted on
Emerging story
After Lionel Messi's arrival at Inter Miami in Florida, a video was widely shared on X platform showing Messi, the Argentinian ace, speaking English.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the video and found it to be fake.
The Video of Messi Speaking in English Is AI-generated
A watermark of HeyGen can be seen at the corner of the circulated clip.
HeyGen is an AI video generation tool. HeyGen’s website slogan is “no camera? No crew? No problem!” as it enables users to create any video using AI technology by transforming texts into videos with audio with digital avatars.
Lionel Messi Does Not Speak English
Although Messi has played for various English-speaking clubs in Europe and has now headed to the U.S, he does not speak English. Messi has never spoken in English in public. In an interview with journalist Guillem Balague, Messi stated that he was learning English. “I have been learning English for a year and a half but when you're there in England, you get to learn it through necessity. I understand it, but I do not speak it," according to his interview in 2021, by The Sun.
The languages Messi can speak are Spanish, the native language of his country, Argentina, and Catalan, the native language of the region of Catalonia. He can speak Catalan because of the time he spent at Barcelona football club.
AI Videos Mislead The Media And Spread Disinformation
The problem with AI-generated lies with the absence of clear laws. Anybody or any party can create an AI-generated video of someone and make it look real, damaging their reputation or establishing it, leading to undermining social trust. The technology could be used to help criminals, rogue states, ideological extremists, or simply special interest groups, allowing them to manipulate people for economic gain or political advantage.
Given the truth that there are no technical defense mechanisms available at the current time, it is expected that AI-generated video will play a vital role in the future of cyberattacks. Moreover, the danger of AI-generated videos is constantly growing as AI technologies are rapidly developing.
However, while AI-generated videos could be misused to scam, mislead, or damage someone’s reputation, it is also an important feature that could be used to ease several jobs, such as marketing specialists and others. AI technology allows sales and marketing companies to create videos at ease and speed, using the voice and the face of one of the team without actually recording them.
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