The 2024 Summer Olympics, scheduled to begin on July 26, is set to be the biggest sporting event of the year. It is expected to draw over 10,500 athletes from 200 countries and attract a massive influx of spectators to France. However, the grandeur of this event also makes it a target for various malicious campaigns. Recently, a disturbing AI-generated video featuring a deepfake of Tom Cruise has emerged, warning the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of potential violence from Russian groups. 

This threat is particularly concerning given France’s support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. This incident harks back to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where the Soviet Union orchestrated a similar campaign to undermine the event. Consequently, this new deepfake video has sparked public safety concerns for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

New deepfake video spreads false info about safety in Paris

Recently, The Guardian reported on a deepfake video featuring an AI-generated Tom Cruise that was circulating on Telegram. Microsoft said the video was circulated by Russia-affiliated groups to “malign influence campaigns” against France, the country’s President Emmanuel Macron, and the IOC. The Tom Cruise video called Olympics Has Fallen uses AI to use the actor’s voice in a “strange, meandering script” defaming the IOC. The title has been taken from Gerard Butler’s movie Olympus Has Fallen. Microsoft published in a report, “The video … signalled the content’s creators committed considerable time to the project and demonstrated more skill than most influence campaigns we observe.” 

It was accredited to a group linked with the Kremlin called Storm -1679. They have spread fear about safety threats during the Paris Olympics that will take place between 26th July to 11th August. This is strangely reminiscent of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 when the Soviet Union was linked to a series of threatening leaflets sent to the Olympic Committee of several countries that had not joined the Soviet’s boycott campaign. The leaflets warned of violence against Third World athletes. They sent a leaflet to the Zimbabwean National Olympics Committee, threatening violence against Black athletes.

However, the Soviet Union called the allegations against them “ridiculous,” and blamed the Ku Klux Klan instead. However, the State Department cited several details, such as the non-native English syntax and the use of expensive typewriters, that connected the leaflets to the Soviet KGB. Both campaigns mislead the public and create unnecessary panic. 

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France facing multiple militant threats ahead of the Summer Games

Time and again, the Olympic Games have been threatened by militant and terrorist groups. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics faced severe security measures from Islamist militants. The 2016 Rio Olympics saw the Islamic State group threaten the Champions League quarter-final matches in Paris, Madrid, and London. France is especially susceptible given its leadership in anti-terrorist campaigns. Furthermore, France’s “unlimited support” policy towards Ukraine has gained them the ire of Russia. There is also the threat from campaigns that are anti-Emmanuel Macron, the president of France. There have been reports of the proliferation of cheap drones, and 3D-printed firearms, as well as cyber-attacks during the Olympic Games.

France has taken extensive measures to counter potential terrorist attacks during the upcoming Olympics. A deployment of 20,000 soldiers, along with 40,000 policemen and gendarmes, will be stationed across the country. Airspace within a 150 km radius of Paris will be closed during the opening ceremony, and several bridges will also be shut down. Additionally, France has established a robust medical infrastructure to handle any potential disasters. At the moment, there is little cause for concern as France is taking maximum precautions to ensure a safe and secure competition.