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What Are Kpop Deepfakes?

In 2025, Kpop deepfakes are as popular as they are controversial. The term “deepfake” has undoubtedly negative connotations, referring to synthetic, AI-generated videos that depict celebrities often without their consent.

Kpop deepfakes are representative of both the growing Kpop fandom around the world and the rise of artificial intelligence. As AI technology becomes more sophisticated and accessible, the Korean entertainment industry faces unprecedented challenges regarding the unauthorized use of their artists’ images — presenting valid concerns around digital manipulation and the misuse of AI.

In this article, we’ll explore the ethical landscape of AI-generated Kpop deepfakes. We’ll also demonstrate why the responsible use of AI is essential for building a sustainable and responsible creator brand, whether or not you’re working in the Kpop niche.

Why Are Kpop Deepfakes Controversial? Ethical Issues & Concerns

The controversy surrounding AI videos is not limited to Kpop deepfakes. Back in March, CNN reported that Hollywood was being “flooded” by AI deepfakes, with celebrities like Taylor Swift and Joe Rogan being depicted in AI scams. These videos mirror people’s voice, appearance and likeness to manipulate viewers, many of whom can’t tell that the videos aren’t real.

Over the past year, however, social media platforms have exploded with unauthorized AI content depicting popular Kpop groups like Twice and Blackpink, members of which have become victims of illegal deepfake pornography. A 2023 report released by the US cybersecurity company Security Hero showed that Kpop stars were particularly at risk of nefarious AI deepfakes, making up 53% of individuals featured in this kind of content.

Kpop deepfakes are not just illegal – they’re placing artists in videos they never consented to, violating their dignity and potentially harming their professional reputations. Many of these artists have spoken publicly about the psychological impact of seeing themselves manipulated by AI without their permission and have called for tighter laws and guidelines.

South Korean entertainment companies have also responded with increasing legal action against the platforms hosting these videos, as well as the people who created the material. Many Kpop fandoms have also started campaigns to report and remove unauthorized Kpop deepfakes, while others have defended more innocent creations as harmless fan art.

However good your intentions, it’s best to avoid creating Kpop deepfakes to avoid crossing ethical boundaries and getting into legal trouble. There are other ways to create AI-generated videos in the K-pop niche, which we’ll get to in this article.

How Are Ethical AI Videos Different From Kpop Deepfakes?

It’s important to state that, while Kpop deepfakes are unethical (and in some cases illegal), not all AI-generated videos are bad. Many people use AI video generators like Argil to create videos using AI clones and avatars of themselves to share with their followers. The difference is all about consent.

When using Argil, you can either use one of our 70+ pre-made avatars — all of which were trained on real actors, but with their consent — or you can generate your own AI avatar by uploading a 2-minute video of yourself speaking, and by giving your consent for us to use your likeness.

You cannot create videos of other people without their consent, nor can you generate AI Kpop deepfakes or videos starring celebrities. Instead of encouraging people to use real-world images in unethical and harmful ways, Argil empowers content creators to generate original, personality-driven videos using their own AI avatars, helping them save time and money when producing video content.

You’ll retain the full rights to your image and videos, and you can share your Argil creations across social media platforms.

How to Create Ethical Kpop Content

From bands like BTS and movie sensations like Kpop Demon Hunters, Kpop is huge right now. However, you don’t have to create Kpop deepfakes to cash in on this cultural trend.

A much more effective and engaging approach to Kpop content is to carve out your own place in the fandom, appealing to others with the same passion and interest in Korean popular culture. Using an ethical AI tool like Argil, you can create videos starring your very own digital clone, in formats such as:

Reaction Videos

Reaction videos are huge across YouTube and TikTok. Using Argil, you can splice in B-roll of your favorite Kpop cultural moments and use your avatar to demonstrate your reaction. Your avatar can deliver a pre-written script, or you can simply use a text prompt and we’ll generate one for you.

Reaction videos can also be optimized and trimmed for different platforms, helping you save time when cross-posting. We’ll also automatically add in background music, captions and visual transitions, which you can edit at any stage.

News & Updates

To cash in on Kpop social media commentary, you can also film “news videos” to update your followers on the latest developments.

Using an automation platform like Make.com, you could even trigger Argil to create a new video (using your lifelike digital avatar) every time a new Kpop article gets published, or each time you add a new idea to your spreadsheet/Google doc. This will save you time while helping you keep up with the latest trends and updates.

Not only is this kind of content more ethical than Kpop deepfakes, but it’s also more authentic and engaging. Your audience will get to know you and your personality, and that will drive more followers to your channels.

Remember: people want to hear your unique takes – that’s what makes your content interesting.

Fan Commentary & Theories

Fan theories are huge in the pop culture world. From speculation about upcoming releases to finding hidden easter eggs and decoding song lyrics, audiences on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram can’t get enough of this kind of content.

Of course, nothing is stopping you from posting celebrity gossip videos or speculating about relationships between Kpop stars — this is perfectly ethical as long as you’re not saying anything disrespectful or slanderous, and as long as you’re not creating unauthorized Kpop deepfakes to back up your theories.

Again, you can streamline your video production process by integrating your Argil account with Make. For fan commentary videos, you can trigger a workflow into action each time a new Reddit thread is posted in the r/kpoppers or r/kpopthoughts subreddits.

Using our text-to-video tool, you can easily convert these posts into videos, complete with scripting, B-roll, captions, visual transitions, background music, AI voiceover and, of course, your pre-trained avatar.

Create Your Own AI Avatar with Argil Today

Responsible use of AI avatar technology isn’t just important from an ethical standpoint — it’s also vital for building trust and accountability into your brand, whether you’re a content creator, marketer or entrepreneur.

Argil’s unique features include customizable avatar expressions, multilingual capabilities, automatic editing, B-roll integration and context-aware AI agents that can help you improve your content. Using our tool will reduce your production workload by 80%, helping you create content more consistently without sacrificing video quality.

To create your own AI avatar and start producing videos more quickly and effectively, sign up for Argil today. All you need to do is upload a 2-minute video of you speaking (filmed on your phone) and give your consent. Then, you can use your digital avatar across dozens of videos, helping you create fresh and engaging content in under ten minutes.

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