Tom Hanks Warns Fans About AI-Generated Ads Using His Likeness to Sell “Wonder Drugs”

Tom Hanks warned fans about AI-generated ads featuring his likeness to sell “wonder drugs.”

“There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs,” the actor wrote. “These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI.”

Hanks confirmed that he has “nothing to do with these posts or the products and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures. I have type 2 diabetes and I ONLY work with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment.”

The Forrest Gump star then told fans to “not be fooled, not be swindled” and “not lose your hard earned money.”

This isn’t the first time someone has used Hanks’ likeness to hawk products. In Oct. 2023, he shared a screenshot on Instagram of a false ad, writing, “BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it.”

Hanks isn’t the only celebrity to be affected by AI-created ads. Last year, an ad featuring a fake Luke Combs promoting “miracle” weight loss gummies made rounds on social media. “I was at an all-time low, and then God blessed me with the miracle root gummies. My good friend Lainey Wilson had recommended them to me,” said an AI-generated voice that sounds like Combs.

Piers Morgan, Nigella Lawson and Oprah Winfrey are also among those who have fallen victim to AI. Earlier this year, ads promoting a manifestation course called “Genie Script,” which claimed to be a lost Hebrew Bible scripture of just 20 words that could bring you success, used real footage overlaid with artificial dialogue. “I want to give you a 20-word script… think of it like installing a new operating system into your mind that’s programmed to make you rich,” the fake Winfrey is heard saying in an advert.

Last year, Scarlett Johannson sued a company called Lisa AI when her image and voice were allegedly used to advertise the company’s deepfake generating abilities. Earlier this year, the actress summoned her lawyers after accusing Sam Altman of appropriating her voice for the demo of generative artificial intelligence startup OpenAI’s new ChatGPT 4o model. Open AI — which continues to deny that the Sky voice is a Johansson deepfake — took Sky offline.