The advent of generative AI has brought with it an influx of scammers eager to make use of technology that requires minimal effort on their part to create increasingly convincing fake content. From fake endorsements seemingly featuring iconic celebrities to ads from big brands offering products that simply don’t exist, no single entity or person is completely safe from the possibility they will be pitched an AI-backed scam or have their likeness used in one.

In his recent article for Inc., BigSpeak EVP and negotiation speaker Ken Sterling shares tips for preventing bad-faith actors from using your content to create fake endorsements and products that will tarnish your reputation and may have legal ramifications. He offers three strategies that can be used as preventative measures against the growing tide of fake media: intense content moderation, frequent contracting updates, and pre-drafted action plans for addressing unauthorized content use.

In the first case, rigorous control and monitoring of content is the first and best defense against stolen and faked content. By limiting the amount of content posted publicly, scammers are given less to work with. This especially applies to high-definition video and audio content which is a goldmine for deep-fakers; if this must be shared, Sterling recommends restricting access to internal use only. Employing AI identity monitoring tools can also provide early alerts when trademarked content and team members’ faces and voices are used without permission.

Frequently updated contracts mitigate legal risk in the case that a scammer scrapes and makes use of your media. Marketing and legal teams should create specific and explicit clauses that define how content is allowed to be used, and by who. These contracts should include an obligation to report, which will require your brand partners to notify you if they see someone unauthorized making use of your imagery or authority.

The final tip also focuses on mitigation and total damage prevention. Pre-created emergency response templates available for your public relations employees and legal representatives will cut down on response time and mean fake content will be addressed and removed as quickly as possible before causing lasting damage.