To show just how much was at stake with the rise of deepfake technology, Steak-umm deepfaked unsuspecting vegans under the guise of a focus group. With a combination of off-the-shelf AI software and models, we deepfaked our vegan's interviews within 20 minutes of filming. We then showed the results for their reaction.

Our deepfake process involved selecting clips, extracting and enhancing voices, cloning voices with AI software, generating new audio, combining audio with clips using AI models for lip-syncing, and upscaling videos. We also used Adobe Premier for video editing and masking.

We had seen the deepfakes of world leaders, politicians, and rockstars. These high-profile public figures are all fair game for a little A.I. deception. Despite this, there’s one group of people the world knows not to mess with: Vegans.

But that’s exactly what Steak-umm did; we deepfaked a group of unsuspecting vegans and turned them into red-blooded carnivores.

It was all fun and games when deepfakes were only an issue for celebrities. But now, thanks to rapid advancements in AI technology, the average person is just as much at risk. So Steak-umm used its “100% Real” brand platform to take on this dangerous new form of misinformation and prove an important point: if a deepfake can make vegans say they love meat, imagine what a deepfake could make you say.

Steak-umm is made of 100% real beef, and because we stand for 100% we're against anything fake. Deepfake tech was becoming more mainstream and we saw an opportunity to use our platform for an entertaining, and educational, prank/PSA.

The brief was to prove to everyday people in real-time how their identities were at risk of being deepfaked, just like celebrities and politicians. While bringing awareness to this issue, DeepSteaks also sent a critically important message about AI education and internet literacy. The campaign drove viewers to a site http://deepsteaks.ai/ where they could learn more about how to spot and safely engage with deepfakes, and take real action to support the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act (a congressional bill to promote the safe handling of deepfake tech).

DeepSteaks brought vegans together for a focus group, the actual goal of which was to illuminate the power of deepfake technology. After being interviewed and giving feedback on a (truly) vegan sandwich, vegans were brought back in just 20 minutes to discover they had been deepfaked into red-blooded carnivores.

We actually won over vegans with our prank, and then edited the entire experience into an online film for our social followers to learn more. We also directed them to our site, http://deepsteaks.ai/, where they could learn more about how to spot and safely engage with deepfakes, and take real action to support the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act (a congressional bill to promote the safe handling of deepfake tech).

As one of the top brands on social media, Steak-umm sought to entertain and educate X, Instagram, and TikTok users of the dangers of deepfake technology.

While world leaders and global celebrities had been known to be deepfaked, we opted to mess with an audience who had a strong point of view: vegans.

After testing a fast but convincing process for real-time deepfake videos, we hosted our focus group, deepfaked them, and captured their horrified reactions. We then edited this together and published a video summarizing the prank/PSA on 10/31/23.

Gaining 500 million earned media impressions, multiple viral posts on social (X, Instagram, TikTok), and a beefload of alarmed comments, Steak-umm brought a well-needed dose of reality to the artificial intelligence conversation and showed the world just how much is at stake with deepfakes.

Thanks to its blend of technology, advertising, and compelling storytelling DeepSteaks earned coverage from a wide range of publications from those that specialize in popular news to tech to advertising with over 500 earned media impressions. In addition, we earned $3mm+ in AVE.