International
Companies are reporting a massive rise in AI deepfake attacks following an incident targeting Sundararaman Ramamurthy, chief executive of Bombay Stock Exchange located in India.
Recently, artificial videos of Ramamurthy recommending people invest in certain stocks have circulated on social media. He confirmed these videos are AI deepfakes.
“It was in the public domain where many people could see it, and get cheated into buying or selling stocks as if I’d recommended them,” Ramamurthy told BBC. “When we see an incident like this, we immediately lodge a complaint. We go to Instagram and other places where it’s posted to get the video taken down. And we regularly write to the market warning people not to believe in fake videos.”
Karim Toubba, chief executive of security company LastPass, said deepfake attacks have seen a sharp rise in recent years.
“The latest data shows that over the past two years or so, we’ve seen an increase of almost 3,000% in the number of deepfakes being utilized,” Toubba said.
Matt Lovell, co-founder and CEO of CloudGuard, said the technology for deepfakes is cheap and easy to use.
“Deepfakes are becoming very, very easy to do,” Lovell said. “To generate video and audio quality of extremely accurate specifications — it takes minutes. For, say, a simple, single individual-led attack, you’re looking at $500 to $1,000 with the use of largely free tools. For a more sophisticated attack, you’re looking at between $5,000 and $10,000.”
Lovell said new measures are being developed to counter the new threat.
“In your cheeks or just underneath your eyelids, we’ll be looking for changes in blood flow when a person is talking or presenting,” Lovell said. “That’s really where we can tease out whether it’s AI-generated or it’s real.”
National
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced changes to safety policies in response to backlash from accepting a Department of War deal only hours after President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies to stop using Anthropic products.
In a post on X, Altman said OpenAI will attempt to amend their contract to include safeguards against domestic surveillance.
“The AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals,” the post read. “The Department understands the limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information.”
Altman added that OpenAI technology will not be used by intelligence agencies like the National Security Agency.
“There are many things the technology just isn’t ready for, and many areas we don’t yet understand the tradeoffs required for safety,” Altman said.
Altman said he thinks the move looked “opportunistic and sloppy,” but OpenAI is trying to “de-escalate things.”
Local
A year in the making, Oklahoma City’s Cloud Embrace sculpture is nearing completion on March 11.
Located at United Way Plaza in front of Harkins Theater, the sculpture was announced in February 2025 after Visit OKC and the Inasmuch Foundation commissioned and donated it to the city.
Lindsay Vidrine of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber said the light-up sculpture is inspired by Oklahoma’s cloudy skies.
“Cloud Embrace was inspired by Oklahoma City’s skies and how they can be a canvas for color and light,” Vidrine told KFOR. “There will be some colorful panels at the top that, as the sun goes overhead, overcast shadows of color down onto the cloud and the plaza, and then at night, there’ll be an LED light display that also casts color.”
When completed, Cloud Embrace will measure 24 feet tall and 40 feet wide. The sculpture is designed for citygoers to climb on and interact with it.
“It’s a great meetup spot,” Vidrine said. “It’s a high-traffic area. You can see it from the streetcar, from your car as you’re walking by. So we are excited to have some public art there.”
The public is welcome to attend the ceremonial ribbon cutting at 10 a.m March 11.
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