11 min

Why deepfakes of foreigners are selling goods on Chinese social media Marketplace Tech

    • Technology

A couple of weeks ago, Marketplace’s China correspondent Jennifer Pak noticed a video deepfake of the Hollywood actor Chris Evans on social media. The AI-generated Evans explains in Chinese how money is at the root of life’s problems. It’s part of a recent trend on mainland China, where deepfakes of foreigners give advice, discuss politics and sell goods online. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali spoke with Pak about what’s behind the trend and later, the state of online misinformation in China.

This conversation was part of “Marketplace Tech’s” limited series, “Decoding Democracy.” Watch the full episode here or on our YouTube channel.

The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Joe Rush of Florida. Give now and double your impact.

A couple of weeks ago, Marketplace’s China correspondent Jennifer Pak noticed a video deepfake of the Hollywood actor Chris Evans on social media. The AI-generated Evans explains in Chinese how money is at the root of life’s problems. It’s part of a recent trend on mainland China, where deepfakes of foreigners give advice, discuss politics and sell goods online. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali spoke with Pak about what’s behind the trend and later, the state of online misinformation in China.

This conversation was part of “Marketplace Tech’s” limited series, “Decoding Democracy.” Watch the full episode here or on our YouTube channel.

The next $50,000 in donations to Marketplace will be matched, thanks to a generous gift from Dr. Joe Rush of Florida. Give now and double your impact.

11 min

Top Podcasts In Technology

Acquired
Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
The TED AI Show
TED
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
All-In Podcast, LLC
Hard Fork
The New York Times
Last Week in AI
Skynet Today

More by American Public Media

Marketplace
Marketplace
Brains On! Science podcast for kids
American Public Media
In The Dark
The New Yorker
Smash Boom Best: A funny, smart debate show for kids and family
American Public Media
Million Bazillion
Marketplace
Forever Ago
American Public Media