KATSEYE Lara Hit by Malicious AI Deepfake..."We Are Not Made of Steel"

KATSEYE's Lara has spoken out after an AI-generated deepfake video circulated online falsely depicting her making racist and other offensive remarks.

The manipulated video began spreading across social media, particularly X, appearing to use Lara's likeness and voice to make it seem as though the 20-year-old singer had used the N-word and made other hurtful statements. The content was fabricated, but its presentation as a seemingly authentic video allowed it to circulate alongside discussion over whether the remarks were real.

The original video now appears to have been removed from X, with searches no longer readily surfacing the clip. Its disappearance, however, came only after the fabricated content had already reached enough people for Lara herself to address it.

Writing directly to fans on Weverse DM, Lara described seeing the video as "disgusting" and said the experience had genuinely hurt her.

"I haven't been addressing things lately as much because I feel it often fuels the darkness and hate, but this is something I feel called to speak about," she wrote.

Lara said what particularly disturbed her was not only the creation of the deepfake itself, but the decision to fabricate a narrative in which she, or anyone else, appeared to say such harmful things.

"People often forget we are human beings with feelings, in our teens and early 20s and are not made of steel," she continued. "Doing things like this can truly be so harmful."

She also thanked KATSEYE's fandom, EYEKONS, for checking in on her and sending supportive messages, before encouraging fans to continue spreading kindness rather than amplifying the content.

The incident highlights an increasingly difficult problem surrounding AI-generated content involving public figures. Deepfake technology can now manipulate a person's appearance and voice to create convincing footage of statements or actions that never occurred. In the case of celebrities, that means fabricated material can potentially develop into a reputational controversy before its authenticity has even been established.

For young artists in particular, the consequences extend beyond simply correcting misinformation. Lara's response draws attention to the personal impact of being confronted with realistic footage of oneself saying something they never said, and then watching strangers react to that fabrication as though it could be genuine.

The problem is also not limited to whether viewers ultimately recognize a video as fake. Once manipulated content is reposted, quoted and discussed across different platforms, the accusation attached to it can continue circulating even after the original material has disappeared.

Lara's comments therefore turn what could have remained another piece of quickly discarded online misinformation into a broader reminder of the human consequences behind AI manipulation. The technology does not simply create fake images or voices; when used maliciously, it can place real words, prejudices and controversies onto a real person's identity.

Despite the incident, Lara ended her message by looking toward KATSEYE's upcoming activities, sharing her excitement for the group's scheduled Saturday Night Live appearance and the restart of their tour.

For Lara, however, there was one message she wanted to leave with fans after the experience: "Let's keep spreading kindness guys. Cuz this was absolutely crazy."