WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach police are investigating three separate incidents where a man allegedly used artificial intelligence to create fake videos to manipulate shoppers at the Palm Beach Lakes Home Depot.
The latest case occurred Nov. 18, when police say a 22-year-old man showed a woman a realistic AI-generated image of her husband kissing another woman. The video was completely fabricated.
"I just felt violated — that was the worst part and hardest part to get over," the woman said. She and her husband asked not to be identified, fearing retaliation since the suspect is not in custody.
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Body camera footage shows West Palm Beach officers responding to the Home Depot that night. In it, the suspect, whose identity is being withheld because he has not been charged, showed officers the AI generated image of her husband, admitting he showed it to the woman and recorded her reaction on his Meta glasses.
"What crime did I commit?" asks the man in the body camera video.
"Well, there's been several," replies the Home Depot manager on duty.
"That's all I showed her, that's it," says the 22-year-old, holding up the phone.
"Oh, it's an AI thing, is that what it is?" asks the officer.
"It's an AI prank," the man being questioned replies."
"I just wanted to get away from him, and I think my anxiety grew after the whole thing was over," the woman targeted said.
She and her husband filed a police report, and officers are investigating whether this incident is connected to two similar cases at the same store.
In October, Melanie Valentine told WPTV a man showed her a realistic AI video of her truck being stolen, then tried to convince her to leave with him to "catch the guy."
"It was really scary because you start to think about all of the things that could have possibly happened. Maybe they would have ambushed me when I was getting out of the truck," Valentine said.
When WPTV showed both Valentine and the couple from the November incident a photo of the man in the body camera footage, they identified him as the person that approached them.
Home Depot's manager told police the suspect had been there before.
"The minute you walked in we were notified by our facial recognition. You were doing this weeks ago here," the manager said in the body camera footage.
West Palm Beach Police spokesperson Rachel Leitao said investigators suspect the incidents were created for social media content.
"We do suspect that these are just shock value videos for social media purposes," Leitao said. "The idea that somebody’s creating these fake videos to instill fear in someone is unacceptable, we know of actually three incidents very similar in nature that have occurred."
The department is now asking any other potential victims to come forward.
Criminal defense attorney Stuart Kaplan said while filming someone in public is legal, using AI to manipulate someone's image with criminal intent could lead to legal action.
"It may fall into the arena civil defamation or slander, or perhaps if it's then used to try to extort you or to blackmail you, or even worse, then obviously law enforcement would have a right to investigate," Kaplan said.
However, using someone's likeness in AI videos without clear criminal intent remains a legal gray area, Kaplan said.
"Do you think there should be stronger laws surrounding the use of AI?" Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey asked Kaplan.
"One thousand percent," Kaplan replied. "If AI is manipulated or falls into the wrong hands, it can present a very, very troubling and damaging scenario for our way of life."
Police advise shoppers to be on high alert during the busy holiday shopping season. If something feels off, trust your instincts and never go with a stranger.
The investigation is ongoing. WPTV reached out to both the person named in the police report and Home Depot's Corporate media team but have not yet received a response.
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