Crowded House have taken the unusual step of denying that band frontman and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Neil Finn has issues with erectile dysfunction.
The band made the announcement after a fake, AI-generated news broadcast fronted by TVNZ journalist Simon Dallow circulated on social media. The report claimed that Finn had fathered a child at the age of 67, before detailing his condition and the steps taken to resolve the issue.
"I never thought I'd be able to become a father again,” says fake Neil Finn. "Honestly, I believe that chapter of my life was closed, not because I didn't want it, but because I simply couldn't.
"For years, I lived with a problem. Most men are too ashamed to talk about. My erections became weaker and weaker until they stopped altogether. No desire, no confidence, no control. I was too embarrassed to even talk to my wife about it."
Fake Neil Finn goes on to detail the steps taken to address the problem, introducing further fake footage, this time of an AI-generated speech by renowned Māori doctor and former New Zealander of the Year Lance O'Sullivan.
"We're not sure where this came from, but please don't be fooled," say Crowded House. "Neil's never had trouble with erections."
The ad is the latest example of AI-generated fakery involving music and musicians, from the well-publicised "success" of AI-generated band Velvet Sundown, to the increasing number of social media posts purporting to show well-known musicians in unlikely scenarios, which include AI-generated images of Tom Jones, Adele, Celine Dion, Ed Sheeran and Adam Lambert "singing" at Ozzy Osbourne's funeral.
