--- title: "Warren Buffett Saw An AI That Scared Him" description: "Warren Buffett, one of American finance's biggest moguls, saw an AI deepfake of himself that seems to have freaked him out. " date: "2024-05-06" modified: "2024-05-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/warren-buffett-ai-deepfake" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "deepfake" - "finance" - "the digest" - "warren buffett" --- # Warren Buffett Saw An AI That Scared Him ![Warren Buffett, one of American finance's biggest moguls, saw an AI deepfake of himself that seems to have freaked him out. ]() *\Image: Daniel Zuchnik / WireImage via Getty / Futurism\* ## Convincing Footage One of American finance's biggest moguls saw an AI deepfake of himself, and it seems to have freaked him out. In a [shareholder meeting]() over the weekend, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett admitted that he saw an AI doppelganger of himself that was so good, it impressed and terrified him. During a Q&A portion of the investor call, Buffett said that although he couldn't have explained how the deepfake was made, he was sure, from what he saw, that it's going to "be the growth industry of all time." "Based on the one I saw recently," the billionaire said, "I practically would send money to myself over and over in some crazy country." Buffett also referenced his comments last year likening AI to the [advent of nuclear weapons](). "We let a genie out of the bottle when we developed nuclear weapons and that genie has now been doing some terrible things lately, and the power of that genie scares the hell out of me," he opined. "I don't know any way to get the genie back into the bottle." "AI is somewhat similar, it's part \[of the\] way out of the bottle and its enormously important, and it's going to be done by somebody so we may wish we'd never seen that genie," the Oracle of Omaha continued. ## Not Unprecedented While it's unclear what deepfake of himself Buffett saw, there have been fairly recent reports about videos spoofing his likeness. As [*Media Matters* reported]() in December, a video of the finance mogul taking to *Fox News* to promote to promote crypto — which he has quite publicly [come out against]() on [repeated occasions]() — was indeed an AI fake. "I am watching a bitcoin giveaway take part \[sic\]," the spoofed Buffett said in the video, which has since been [flagged by Instagram]() for being altered. "If you want to change your future, go to the website anloko.com, enter promo code 'gift' and enjoy your prizes, 0.3 BTC. Do not miss the opportunity that will change your life." Representatives for both Buffett and *Fox News* later [confirmed to *Reuters*]() that the video was a fake — and given the timing, there's a non-zero chance that it was the same video the billionaire saw. **More on AI:** [*Country Star Who Can't Sing After Stroke Releases New Song Using AI*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()