YouTube is already notorious for having too many ads on its platform with no reliable way to block them anymore, but it has been much worse lately following the rise of AI tools. AI-made ads promoting crypto fraud have unfortunately become commonplace on the world’s biggest video-sharing platform, as reported by many on social media.
A social media post from a Facebook user who has worked as a freelancer in cryptocurrency highlights how abundant such ads have become on YouTube. He was previously acquainted with key speakers and important people in this sector.
He says:
Every other day some fake Michael Saylor, Charles Hoskinsons, Vitalik Buterin and Anatoly Yakovenkov or Brian Armstrong are giving out free coins as a reward for simply clicking on a link.
He goes on to say that this is an old and tested way of scamming people online, which has become far easier now thanks to AI tools. These tools can easily be used to copy someone else’s voice and face to make a fake ad, which can be difficult to distinguish for the common man. There are hours-long live streams running on YouTube, trying to scam people out of their money.
This puts into question the downsides of generative AI, which has become easily accessible to almost everyone with an internet connection. While it is making strides on products like ChatGPT, it also continues to become increasingly dangerous in the hands of bad actors.
Nevertheless, the responsibility to address fraudulent ads on YouTube ultimately lies with Google. But ads also make Google a ton of money, so it remains to be seen whether any action will be taken against this issue.
