How AI turned a Ukrainian YouTuber into a Russian

“I don't want anyone to think that I ever said these horrible things in my life. Using a Ukrainian girl for a face promoting Russia. It's crazy.”

Olga Loiek has seen her face appear in various videos on Chinese social media - a result of easy-to-use generative AI tools available online.

“I could see my face and hear my voice. But it was all very creepy, because I saw myself saying things that I never said,” the 21-year-old, who studies at the University of Pennsylvania, told the BBC.