Singapore
The videos - which have already garnered more than 1 million views - use the Alibaba founder’s likeness to deliver a blend of praise and falsehoods about Singapore, to sow seeds of disinformation about the city-state.
As part of the investigation, CNA found that five channels that misappropriated Jack Ma's image were created within a five-day window and posted on synchronised schedules. Some videos were uploaded by different channels within seconds of one another. (Graphic: CNA/Teha Muhamad)
28 Jul 2026 06:00AM
SINGAPORE: Jack Ma has said little publicly about Singapore in the past decade. But fake, AI-generated versions of the Alibaba co-founder are presenting themselves online as self-professed experts on all things Singapore – from detailed economic facts to urban legends but also outright conspiracies about geopolitical rivalries.On YouTube, an AI-generated avatar bearing Mr Ma’s face and voice claimed that 10 countries were joining forces to “encircle and suppress” Singapore. Another claimed that Singapore was cutting off other nations’ access to food and water by tightening its control of the Strait of Malacca. CNA found no evidence that Mr Ma ever made these statements, and the videos cited no original speech or interview for such comments attributed to the mainland Chinese entrepreneur. These videos, which use an authority figure’s likeness to spread falsehoods, can be created at low cost and at scale. An investigation by CNA found 32 YouTube channels that published 300 such videos with avatars of Mr Ma, between September 2025 and June 2026. The videos are in both English and Mandarin.An AI-assisted review of their content found that 259 – about 86 per cent – contained at least one false or misleading claim in either the videos’ titles or transcripts, or both. These 259 videos, which originated from 25 of the 32 YouTube channels, have chalked up more than 1 million views to date.
