What do you see about billionaire Rihanna being rumored to be pregnant?

Rihanna, the billionaire singer, has frequently been rumored to be pregnant despite her denials. Not only are these rumors often unverified, but deepfake videos depicting her as pregnant have also stirred public controversy.

According to The US Sun, Rihanna wearing a thick coat in summer has led members on X (formerly Twitter) to speculate that the star is hiding a baby bump for her third child. Although Rihanna quickly denied these rumors, some accounts continue to spread negative narratives, accusing her of lying and criticizing her for being lazy in producing music. This has somewhat affected the singer.

In reality, Rihanna is just one of many celebrities who have fallen victim to fake news. In the context of social media and technological advancement, misinformation has infiltrated darker, more insidious corners, appearing in forms like memes, sensationalized screenshots, or AI-edited images.

**AI Reshaping the Fake News Problem**

According to Express, Rihanna and Meghan Markle have been central figures in pregnancy-related fake news recently. Beyond unverified news, a deepfake video portraying Rihanna as pregnant has caused a stir. Despite giving birth to her second child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in August 2023, rumors of her being pregnant again spread rapidly.

Meanwhile, some news outlets concluded that “Markle used a surrogate for her two children with Prince Harry.” This information was quickly debunked by reliable sources. For Harry, after publishing his book “Spare,” revealing royal secrets, his name generated 6,048 interactions with fabricated stories.

In the 2023 list of celebrities entangled in fake news, Markle ranked fifth with 16,731 fake news stories, followed by Rihanna with 12,698. Billionaire Elon Musk topped the list, with 157,385 unverified stories circulating.

Express reported that the rise of AI, particularly deepfake technology, is reshaping the fake news landscape. “Deepfake – sophisticated AI creations that make the produced content appear real – is a main tool for spreading fabricated stories about celebrities,” the paper wrote.

A shocking example involves Saint Von Colucci, allegedly a Canadian-Portuguese actor and singer, who was reported to have died after 12 surgeries to resemble Jimin (BTS). Global media were abuzz with this news, only to later find out that Colucci was not real. Numerous pieces of evidence indicated that Von Colucci was a product of a complex hoax using artificial intelligence, deceiving dozens of media outlets across the USA, Canada, the UK, South Korea, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

In another development, deepfake images and videos of Taylor Swift have proliferated on social media platforms. A deepfake post depicting Swift nude in compromising positions garnered over 27 million views and more than 260,000 likes in 19 hours. Swift’s immense popularity made her an ideal target for misinformation.

The Telegraph reported that Selena Gomez is also a victim of deepfakes. A fake photo showing her stepping over Lily James at this year’s Met Gala was created by pranksters. They often generate fake images of stars for various reasons.

**How Celebrities Deal with Fabrications**

In an interview with NBC News, Clare McGlynn, a law professor at Durham University and expert on online abuse, stated that celebrities and high-status individuals are prime targets for deepfake pornography and fake news. The more influential the person, the greater the risk of fabricated stories.

Faced with rampant fake news, celebrities like Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Chris Evans, and Lily Singh have tended to leave or pause their social media activities to focus on their mental health.

According to People, Gomez has distanced herself from social media multiple times to avoid reading negative, incorrect information about herself. Keira Knightley and Daniel Radcliffe refuse to create Twitter or other social media accounts to avoid the rapidly increasing mix of true and false information.

In 2020, during the #StopHateForProfit campaign against the spread of fake news and negative information, actor Leonardo DiCaprio locked his social media accounts. He stated, “I use both apps to motivate positive things, not hate or misinformation.”

Britney Spears, frequently a victim of fake news on the internet and tabloids, chooses to speak out against baseless accusations rather than remain silent.

Justin Bieber once became furious when fabricated information spread about him. In 2020, he sued two women who accused him of sexual harassment, demanding $10 million in damages from each. In his complaint, Bieber claimed to have “indisputable” evidence that the information about his rape and sexual harassment was entirely fabricated. “I rarely respond to such rumors. However, sexual harassment is something I cannot take lightly. I will work with Twitter and the authorities to address the matter legally,” Bieber emphasized. Following his response, the account holders who posted the accusations locked their accounts.

According to Express, the prevalence of fake news online has been manipulating and misleading public opinion, damaging the reputations of celebrities. The ease of creating and spreading such fake news poses a significant challenge. Distinguishing between truth and falsehood is becoming increasingly difficult, threatening public trust.

In an interview with Today, journalist Marc Ambinder, a senior fellow at the Center for Communication Policy and Leadership at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, stated that the fake news problem cannot be completely resolved overnight but can be mitigated by controlling the content shared among users. This approach is being implemented by some platforms.