Good morning. GeoGuessr aficionado Rainbolt hosted actor Rami Malek on his channel recently, quizzing Malek on locations from his past as they promoted Malek’s new movie, The Amateur. With an almost perfect GeoGuessr score, we’re wondering if Malek should change the film’s title to The Expert.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Content Creators Respond to AI Deepfake Ad

Earlier this week, wellness creator Rich Roll posted on Threads that he appeared in a two-minute ad for Skaind, a Korean skincare brand. The only problem? 

It wasn’t him in the ad—it was an AI replica.

Skaind used Roll’s likeness—along with that of lifestyle creator Arielle Lorre—in an unauthorized, AI-generated promotion for its products in which Roll and Lorre (who have never met) have a conversation about their skincare habits. 

We spoke with Roll about his experience.

“Every creator should be on high alert, and it seems to me to be a scenario that is not dissimilar from performance enhancing drugs in sports,” Roll said. “The perpetrators are always going to be one step ahead of the detectors.”

What happened to Roll: He attempted to report Skaind, only to find out the brand blocked him from sharing the video, commenting, or sending Skaind a DM. Having dealt with unauthorized deepfake ads in the past, Roll initially dismissed the scam as “the cost of doing business.” 

But after Lorre posted a TikTok about the situation, Roll reached out to her. “I felt a responsibility to at least speak out and do something about it,” Roll said. Lorre is currently working with the digital protection agency Loti, and she hired a lawyer to escalate the report at Meta.

What can creators take away from this? “You need a really good lawyer on your team who will take your call right away,” Roll said. “And it’s that person with whom you should construct what your strategy is going to be.” 

Roll also highlighted the increasing importance of technology (like digital watermarks that can verify original content and take down deepfakes) and digital security agencies (which can protect creators’ IP and online identities) as these AI deepfakes become increasingly common.

Big picture: YouTube has supported Congress’s NO FAKES Act, which seeks to ban unauthorized digital replicas. But as the pace of tech innovations increases, platforms will have to implement more efficient ways of detecting scams—and creators will have to stay vigilant.

Platform Smackdown: the Latest Big Tech Brawls

Netflix vs. YouTube → Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said recently that Netflix is in the “spending time” business, while YouTube is in the “killing time” business. 

• Keep in mind: This comment follows a recent Nielsen study that found that YouTube makes up 11.1% of all TV watch time to Netflix’s 8.5%.

TikTok vs. Instagram → Instagram is trying to build a platform for so-called “TikTok refugees” as a potential ban on the platform remains possible. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri spoke on Build Your Tribe’s YouTube channel about Instagram’s priorities: improving search functionality, incorporating popular features from other apps, and offering cash bonuses to creators who post their TikTok content on Instagram.

X vs. Twitch → This one could have a happy ending. In November, X sued Twitch as part of a larger lawsuit that accused roughly a dozen companies of violating antitrust law by withdrawing advertising on X. This week, X made a deal to drop the lawsuit if Twitch meets certain unspecified criteria by the end of the year.

Minecraft’s Box Office Surprise

Before its premiere, A Minecraft Movie was initially expected to make $60 million during its opening weekend. The movie smashed those expectations by raking in over $160 million domestically and $150 million globally, making it the biggest domestic opening weekend for a film based on a video game.

What’s behind the box office beat? The film has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram. From throwing popcorn and drinks to bringing an actual chicken into the theater, teenage viewers are sharing their Minecraft Movie experiences on social—and driving ticket sales.

🔥 Press Worthy

• YouTuber Kurtis Conner kicks off his 20-stop European tour in Birmingham, UK.

• TikTok announces an invite-only “Specialized Rewards Program,” providing incentives for creators to stay on the platform.

• BeReal launches a native advertising platform in the US. 

• Food creator Joshua Weissman partners with the Kentucky Derby to create an at-home menu for fans.

• Jack Harries, who pivoted from travel content to environmental and climate coverage, returns to YouTube after a year-long hiatus.

📚️ Thank You For Pressing Publish

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.

• Read: For Slate, journalist Luke Winkie explores the origin of non-essential holidays like National Kombucha Day and National Puppy Day—and the for-profit machine behind it.

• Watch: As Coachella kicks off its first weekend, all sets from the music festival will be available to stream for free exclusively on YouTube. The Publish team has big plans to tune into Lady Gaga, Charli xcx, and Megan Thee Stallion.

• Listen: For The Cost of Happiness, Imperative Entertainment uncovers the rise and fall of billionaire Zappos founder and tech CEO Tony Hsieh’s The Downtown Project, dedicated to pursuing happiness in downtown Las Vegas.