404 Media reports that lawyers representing basketball star LeBron James have issued a cease-and-desist letter to an AI company responsible for creating and sharing deepfake videos that depict him as pregnant. The AI firm uses these digitally altered videos to promote its technology on social media platforms like TikTok. The notice demands that the company stop producing and disseminating any content using James's likeness without authorization.

The letter argues that the AI-generated videos violate LeBron James’s right of publicity, which protects a person’s name, image and likeness from unauthorized commercial exploitation. It also raises potential claims of false light and defamation, asserting that the “disturbing” content harms his reputation and brand. The case underscores the growing legal challenges posed by generative AI and deepfake technology, highlighting the tension between free expression and parody on one hand and the right to control one’s identity on the other.