Halle Berry Had One Question When She Stumbled on That AI Photo of Her, Denzel, and Michael B. Jordan
Halle Berry found herself on the wrong end of a deepfake this week — and her reaction was perfectly on brand.
A fake AI-generated image began circulating online showing Berry, Denzel Washington, and Michael B. Jordan posing together and flashing stacks of cash. In the image, Denzel and Berry are dressed in matching sweatsuits while MBJ rocks a Gucci T-shirt and jeans. Berry came across it and responded the only way you really can: with a question mark. That was it. Just "?" The images appear to have originated from an Instagram account called @ai__wizz and were soundtracked with Pooh Shiesty's 2019 song "Shiesty Summer."
The image was fairly easy to identify as AI-generated for most viewers. But the fact that three of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood were convincingly dropped into a fake cash-flashing flex moment illustrates just how quickly and casually deepfake technology is being used to put real people in fabricated scenarios.
Berry's single punctuation response mirrored a lot of what her followers felt in the comments, a combination of confusion, amusement, and mild existential alarm. The photo, despite being clearly fake, racked up significant engagement before Berry's reaction made it even more viral.
This is not the first time AI-generated images have caught celebrities off guard. In January, a deepfake of the "Stranger Things" cast went viral in which a creator was seen swapping faces with cast members in hyper-realistic fashion.