Online Creators Battle AI Clones Stealing Their Identity

Creators are increasingly falling victim to AI-generated copycat accounts that steal their videos and likenesses. These imposter accounts often use AI to slightly alter content and then promote dubious products or spread misinformation.

Fitness creator Marsha Dunkel and her partner Antoine Gillet reported encountering AI clones on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Attempts to have these accounts removed were met with threats of retaliation, and platforms have provided little effective support.

Similar issues have been reported by other creators, including fitness coach Abbey Reynolds and musician Sophie Burrell. YouTube creator Rhett Shull highlighted the danger of AI clones, fearing association with misinformation. Google stated that YouTube offers tools to detect AI replication and allows creators to request content removal.

Legal recourse for creators is currently complex. In France, where Dunkel resides, such cases are often protracted and costly. In the United States, while laws exist for intimate deepfakes under the Take It Down Act (signed into law in May 2025), protection against general commercial deepfakes is lacking.

However, the proposed NO FAKES Act, which advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in late June of this year, could offer federal protection by allowing individuals to prohibit unauthorized AI generation of their voices and visual likenesses.

In the meantime, creators can take defensive measures. Signing up for deepfake monitoring services like Reality Defender or ZeroFox is recommended. For direct infringements, filing a cease-and-desist letter under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is an option. Creators are also advised to publicly denounce fake accounts on their own channels and report them to social media platforms.

If a deepfake is discovered, immediate action is crucial. This includes recording evidence, reporting the user on the platform, posting a public response to inform their community, consulting a lawyer specializing in copyright or trademark law, and reporting the incident to the FBI via the Internet Crime Complaint Center.