AI 'deepfakes' of innocent images fuel spike in sextortion scams, FBI warns

Brian Montgomery, who lost his son to suicide after he was extorted, discussed the loss of his son and how teen boys have been blackmailed over explicit pictures on'America's Newsroom.' If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Artifical intelligence-generated "deepfakes" are fueling sextortion scams like dried up brush in an out-of-control wildfire. The number of nationally reported sextortion cases increased 322% between February 2022 and February 2023, according to the FBI, which said last week there's been a significant uptick since April because of AI-doctored images. Innocent pictures or videos uploaded to social media or sent in messages can be twisted into sexually explicit, AI-generated images that are "true-to-life" and nearly impossible to discern, the FBI said.