On a current episode of The Gilbert Arenas Showthree-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was shocked to be taught of Matt Barnes’ claims he acquired extorted by somebody who used synthetic intelligence expertise.
At across the 41-minute mark of the podcastas seen beneath, the subject of AI influencers got here up when Arenas seemingly observed a remark from a fan within the chat. “Matt Barnes got finessed out of $61,000?” he stated, with a shocked expression on his face. “By an AI snow bunny? No, y’all playing. What?! No, I don’t believe it.”
Arenas then recommended that he may by no means discover himself in an analogous state of affairs. “I’m the only person that can’t get caught by AI like that,” he continued. “You gotta show me something real.” Barnes’ allegations had been then learn out by his co-host, Josiah Johnson, whereas Arenas sat there in additional disbelief.
Last month, Barnes stated he was a sufferer of an AI-assisted extortion scheme led by somebody who used AI-produced audio, video, and textual content messages that she threatened to leak to numerous shops, together with notorious gossip blogger Tasha Ok.
“The woman allegedly used artificial intelligence to create convincing deep fake audio, video, and messages that made Barnes appear unfaithful,” stated Johnson. “Damn,” Arenas added. “If she did all that, she got to have pictures or something now. … I’m telling you right now, if I’m paying $60,000, I’m getting whatever you selling. And it ain’t going to be no, hey… For me to shush-shush. How you get catfished like that?”
In a put up shared on Instagram final month, Barnes claimed that he’s planning to sue Tasha Ok for posting allegedly AI-generated audio and video that depicted him as untrue to Anansa Sims, who accused him of dishonest earlier this 12 months. “I’m going to show you some receipts,” he stated within the put up, as seen beneath. “This started July of 2023, my ex and I had split for about a month.”
Barnes stated that he communicated with this girl throughout his time aside from Sims, however he stopped the exchanges when he and Sims reunited. Barnes stated he started getting threats to “expose” him from completely different cellphone numbers, and contemplating that Sims was pregnant on the time, he determined to pay the particular person to cease his then fiancée from getting harassed.
Barnes stated he saved paying the unidentified girl all the best way up till September 2024, and he confirmed proof of what went all the way down to Sims. The extorter then despatched what he stated was faux audio and different supplies to Tasha Ok, whom he accused of not fact-checking her sources. He stated that there have been experiences about his sexuality, him attempting to speak somebody into getting an abortion, and different numerous tales.
“It’s bullshit,” Barnes concluded. Alongside his rationalization, he included numerous receipts, exhibiting textual content messages from the particular person and proof of the $61,000 in funds he despatched to an individual named Zoe. “Just wait till all those get out,” she wrote alongside a screenshot exhibiting alleged voice messages.
It doesn’t seem that Barnes has filed his lawsuit in opposition to Tasha Ok as of publication.