Two viral video ads used an AI-generated Tom Hanks to sell a dental plan and "miracle cure" products he never endorsed — confirmed fake by Hanks himself, on the record, corroborated by CBS News, Deadline and ABC News.
What's not confirmed: who made either ad, which company paid for it, or where the videos first ran. Neither incident has been traced to a named creator or advertiser in the reporting reviewed for this piece.
What did the fake Tom Hanks ads actually claim?
The first ad, circulating by October 2023, showed an AI-generated, de-aged version of Hanks promoting an unnamed dental insurance plan. The second, which Hanks flagged on Instagram on August 30, 2024, was a wave of ads using his face, voice and name to sell what he called "miracle cures and wonder drugs" — implying a health endorsement he never gave.
How was this confirmed as fake?
Hanks denied both ads directly, on his own account — the strongest kind of denial this desk accepts, because it's on the record and named. On October 1, 2023, he wrote: "BEWARE!! There's a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it," as reported by CBS News and confirmed separately by Deadline.
On August 30, 2024, he posted again: "There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs... These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI." ABC News reported his representative also commented on the record, and that Hanks added he works "ONLY" with his own board-certified doctor on his health.
Why did it happen twice, and who made the ads?
ABC News's report on the 2024 post explicitly noted it followed the October 2023 dental-ad incident — a repeat pattern, not an isolated post. None of the outlets reviewed for this piece named the company or person behind either ad, and Hanks did not identify one either. No named source has confirmed who built or paid for the ads. That gap — a confirmed fake with an unconfirmed origin — is common with AI-impersonation ads generally, not unique to Hanks.
| Claim in the ad | What's confirmed | Named source |
|---|---|---|
| An AI version of Tom Hanks endorses a dental plan (2023) | False — Hanks says he has "nothing to do with it" | CBS News, Deadline |
| AI ads using Hanks's name, face and voice endorse "miracle cure" health products (2024) | False — Hanks says they were made "without my consent, fraudulently and through AI" | ABC News |
| Identity of who created or paid for either ad | Unconfirmed — no outlet reviewed names a creator or advertiser | None found |
Is there a federal rule against this?
The Federal Trade Commission has proposed one. In a statement dated February 15, 2024, the agency said it was seeking public comment on extending its impersonation rule specifically to cover individuals, not just governments and businesses. Then-FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said: "Fraudsters are using AI tools to impersonate individuals with eerie precision and at a much wider scale."
The FTC's proposal would also let the agency pursue AI platforms that knowingly supply the tools used to build impersonation content — not only the advertisers who run the finished ad. The FTC's press release does not name Hanks or either ad; it addresses the pattern generally, and its status was last confirmed as a proposal open for comment, not a final rule, as of the source checked for this piece.
How can you tell an AI-generated celebrity ad from a real one?
In both confirmed cases here, the tell was the same: no dental company or drugmaker was ever named inside the ad, and the endorsement appeared nowhere except the ad itself — not on the celebrity's own verified account. That's the first check on this desk: does the named person's own account confirm the claim anywhere, or only deny it? A denial that is on the record and named, like Hanks's, is what moves a viral claim from "unconfirmed" to "false."
As of August 20, 2026, no further Tom Hanks AI-ad denial turned up in the sources checked for this piece. If one surfaces, the test stays the same: a named, on-record statement, not an anonymous tip, is what turns a viral claim into a confirmed one.
For a related celebrity perspective, read No, Tom Hanks didn't endorse those AI ads.
For more context, read No, Tom Hanks didn't endorse those AI ads.