At least two fake videos appearing to show a VOA journalist delivering the news have been circulating on social media this week, underscoring how experts say artificial intelligence can be used to target reporters and spread disinformation.
The fake videos depict Cristina Caicedo Smit, a journalist who reports for VOA's award-winning press freedom desk.
While the videos, which were posted on X, may at first appear to be real, they are actually deepfakes — fake videos created with artificial intelligence to look authentic.
Caicedo Smit said the videos are concerning.
"As a journalist, it is extremely concerning that my image and voice are used to try to misinform audiences," she said in a statement.
"As a Press Freedom reporter, I cover how deepfakes are used to discredit journalism, disseminate maligned information and erode people's trust in media," Caicedo Smit added.
Caicedo Smit produces weekly social media videos summarizing the latest top headlines in press freedom news. The deepfakes appear to have taken clips from those authentic videos to create the fake ones.
Artificial intelligence appears to have then been used to create audio that sounds like Caicedo Smit, saying things that are false and that Caicedo Smit has never said.
The beginning of the videos appear authentic as Caicedo Smit introduces herself like she does in her legitimate videos. But the majority of the fake videos then contain speech about the U.S. government, President Donald Trump, billionaire X owner Elon Musk, and the U.S. Agency for International Development — all saying things that Caicedo Smit has never said.
One of the videos, posted Wednesday morning on X by an account that has since been suspended, garnered nearly 60,000 views.
VOA was unable to immediately determine who created the videos.
As a journalist at VOA, Caicedo Smit said in a statement she adheres "to the highest journalistic standards."
"That makes it even more concerning that a deepfake is being used to try to discredit my work and the values that my colleagues and I at VOA stand for," she said.
In response to a request for comment, VOA spokesperson Nigel Gibbs said, "We are aware of the deepfake videos and have contacted X, asking that they be removed."
The deepfakes highlight a trend in which artificial intelligence is used to create videos in which what appear to be real journalists are reporting fake stories.
The fake videos also often use the media outlet's logo in an attempt to make the videos seem legitimate, which was the case with the deepfakes impersonating Caicedo Smit.
Experts warn that these kinds of deepfakes risk spreading disinformation and fostering distrust in the media.
Other VOA journalists have been targeted with deepfake videos, including Ksenia Turkova, who works with VOA's Russian Service.
Journalists who work for other media outlets, such as CNN, CBS and the BBC, also have been the subject of deepfake impersonations.
