Broadcaster Lee Ji-hye. [Herald Muse]
Broadcaster Lee Ji-hye. [Herald Muse]

Broadcaster Lee Ji-hye has urged the public to exercise caution after AI-generated fake advertisements using her likeness without permission began circulating online.

On Friday, Lee posted a video on her social media along with a message saying, "As I mentioned before, it does not appear to be a domestic company, and I am looking into legal options to pursue sanctions."

The video showed an advertisement promoting a specific product using Lee's face and appearance. The clip was not filmed by Lee but was an AI deepfake production depicting her holding and consuming the product as if she were endorsing it.

"They used AI to make it look as though I am advertising the product and have linked it to a sales page," Lee said, urging followers to "please be careful not to be harmed."

Lee had raised the alarm before. In June, she shared a screenshot of another unauthorized advertisement using her image and wrote, "This is not an ad I filmed," adding, "I have no idea where this was made. It's really unpleasant."

Then on Aug. 20, a childhood photo of her eldest daughter, Taeri, was found to have been used without consent in a product advertisement. Lee demanded the post be taken down, saying, "You cannot use this without permission," and warned that she would "take legal action soon."

Meanwhile, Lee married tax accountant Moon Jae-wan in 2017 and has two daughters, Taeri and Ellie.


choigo@heraldcorp.com