Companies Focused on AI are Missing the Real Business Threat

In 2023, savvy executives added AI tools to automate time-consuming tasks and speed up customer service, but no one is talking about the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes on businesses. Celebrities were the first victims, and experts predict 2024 elections will be flooded with phony images, videos and audio clips. Fraud follows the money and businesses will be next.

Imagine the impact of a deepfake showing a CEO buying or taking illicit drugs. Or claiming to expose dirty conditions in a food processing facility. Or alleging a new product hitting the market was unsafe but it’s being released anyway in pursuit of corporate profits.

Even the most ludicrous allegations can go viral before companies know what hit them.

Admittedly, even as the owner of a Scottsdale public relations agency that handles crisis communications for clients across the U.S., I hadn’t considered the business threat of deepfakes until I found myself in a conversation about how generative AI will alter business practices in the future. I believe even more strongly now that every business leader must act now to safeguard the reputation, trust and reliability of their company.

Below are five strategies Arizona business leaders should add to their crisis playbook and drill into every employee.

1. Third-Party Validation

Deepfakes have the inherent ability to spread rapidly through social media without verification of fact. Sadly, no one is going to believe a company that simply claims that a deepfake isn’t real and should be ignored. It is imperative to provide substantial evidence from a valid, third-party forensic expert that the video, audio or image is fake.

While this solution sounds easy, the challenge lies in the limited availability of companies working on deepfake and AI detection software. Business owners should take action now to secure software partners and experts who can be ready on short notice to come to their defense. Business leaders will want to quickly kill a fake story before it spreads and becomes part of the long-term narrative of their company.

2. Simplify Your Message and Act Quickly

It’s important to react immediately. Executives can prepare key message points that clearly and simply state what the company is focused on during the crisis, and what the company will do after the initial crisis is over. This can be written in advance as part of a crisis playbook.

3. Talk to Your Staff

During a crisis, staff must be ready to communicate with angry, scared customers — calming their fears and resolving their problems. Company leaders should hold small group meetings with team leaders to get everyone on board quickly with key messaging. Leaders should also walk among team members to demonstrate confidence and keep morale high, while also demonstrating appreciation to staff for sticking together during a crisis.

4. Talk to Stakeholders

Business leaders need to be honest and direct about what’s happening without speculating or guessing. They should acknowledge the issue, even if it’s just to say they’re investigating it and don’t yet have any answers. And they should provide expectations and instructions on what to do or what to have ready for when they can resolve the issue.

5. Talk to the Public and the Media

It’s important to designate a single spokesperson to ensure consistency and acknowledge questions quickly — even when businesses don’t know the answer. The first day of the crisis is for listening, acknowledging and investigating. After that, business leaders should have enough facts gathered so they can show how they fixed the problem and how they’re making sure a similar mistake doesn’t happen again.

During an AI crisis, a quick response and defense remain crucial, but now, providing verifiable proof is equally essential. Mere denial won’t suffice, as the content appears incredibly realistic. Showing third-party, independent forensic evidence that a deepfake is in fact fake is a vital component of a defense strategy.

Many companies already have a crisis communications plan that already includes some of these strategies. Now is the time to add Deepfakes into that strategy document before they find themselves looking into a proverbial mirror, unprepared for what they see looking back.

Josh Weiss has worked more than 25 years in the PR industry and is the president and founder of 10 to 1 Public Relations, a Scottsdale-based strategic communications firm focused on helping clients across North America grow positive brand awareness. He is also an expert in crisis communications management, having helped numerous companies through very difficult times.