A.I. Video Of Jewish Celebrities Denouncing Kanye West Was Made Without Consent Of Its Stars

On Tuesday, an A.I. video of several Jewish celebrities denouncing Kanye West for his antisemitic views made the rounds on social media.

The video was released on Instagram by Israeli influencer Ori Bejano, who is known for his AI-generated work. His handle clearly states his method (@oribejerano_ai).

West has long been known to spew antisemitic rhetoric, among other racist, homophobic and sexist comments. Last week, his bigoted views returned to the headlines in a series of offensive tweets, many targeted at the Jewish people. West further paid for a commercial at the Super Bowl on Sunday, which directed viewers to a website that exclusively sold a t-shirt with a Swastika.

In the video, over a dozen Jewish celebrities, including Mila Kunis, Steven Spielberg, Drake, Jack Black, Lenny Kravitz, Jerry Seinfeld and Scarlet Johansson, donned white T-shirts that showed a cartoon middle finger with a Star of David inside it and “KANYE” below.

Bejano’s PSA video, set to the tune of the traditional Jewish song “Haga Nagila,” did not support any one foundation. But the end of it saw several pro-Israel organizations recommended, such as StandWithUs and the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement, 

Since the video’s release, the celebrities featured in the A.I.-generated PSA have said that they did not consent to be featured in the video. 

Johansson, who has a history of speaking up about the dangers of A.I. impersonation and starred in the film Her about A.I., issued a statement condemning the “misuse” of A.I.

She explained, “I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat that any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.”

She continued, “I have unfortunately been a very public victim of A.I.…but the truth is that the threat of A.I. affects every one of us. There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding A.I. that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner. It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of A.I.”

She concluded, “I urge the U.S. government to make the passing legislation limiting A.I. use to a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.

While many agree with Johansson’s assertion that A.I. being used for deceitful reasons is an imminent danger, a larger majority of fans have been hung up on her statement to make laws restricting A.I. “a top priority,” arguing that Johansson’s celebrity status has resulted in her focusing on the more “minor” issues in the U.S., and disregarding the social conflict affecting people directly.