Deepfake case study · Video
Pope Leo XIV (impersonation) deepfake (May 2025)
A 36-minute YouTube video presented as a speech from Pope Leo XIV to Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré, which was confirmed by the Vatican Press Office and Vatican News to be a deepfake. AI lip-sync technology…
- Incident date
- May 2025
- Target
- Pope Leo XIV (impersonation)
Updated May 6, 2026 · 1 min read
A 36-minute YouTube video presented as a speech from Pope Leo XIV to Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré, which was confirmed by the Vatican Press Office and Vatican News to be a deepfake. AI lip-sync technology was used to make the video appear real.