Riccardo Simonetti Talks About AI Fake and Launches Podcast with Palina Rojinski

Simonetti explained that he had been turned into an advertising figure without his knowledge and without his consent. „Es sah wirklich so aus, dass ganz viele Menschen das geglaubt haben“, sagte er mit Blick auf die Reaktionen im Netz. The incident raises questions about how to deal with AI-generated content and the protection of personality rights.

Together with Palina Rojinski, Simonetti is launching the podcast „Saus & Applaus" on Friday, 17 July, which will be released on Spotify. In the format, the two want to regularly talk about current topics. Simonetti works as a host and author; Rojinski is also known as a host.

Criticism of Algorithms

In the dpa interview, Rojinski expressed criticism of the role of algorithms in social media. „Ich finde auch, dass Algorithmen einfach auch sehr gefährlich sind“, sagte sie. She also warned against „wirklich nicht gut recherchierte Videos als bare Münze zu nehmen". She also spoke out in favor of regulating algorithms: „Ihrer Ansicht nach bräuchte es Regulierungen."

Rojinski pointed out that algorithms could narrow users' perspectives: „Sie könnten dazu beitragen, dass sich Sichtweisen verengen." After viewing just a few videos on a topic, platforms subsequently displayed mainly content that matched one's own perspective, she explained.

Simonetti also sharply criticized the way social networks operate. „Algorithmen sehen dich nur, wenn du das machst, was alle machen. Jeder versucht nur noch 'ne Kopie von jemand anderem zu sein", sagte er. His videos would now only be distributed if he „dieselbe Musik benutzt, dieselben Reels machst wie jeder andere". In this way, the platforms create a uniform mainstream trend.

The New Podcast „Saus & Applaus"

For comparison, Simonetti referred to the earlier platform Myspace, on which users could still design their profiles individually. Such freedoms have been lost today due to the algorithmic control of content, he said. The dpa report highlights that Simonetti gave his interview on a Thursday.

With the podcast „Saus & Applaus", Simonetti and Rojinski want to offer, in their own words, a counter-format to such uniform content. The first episode will be released on Friday, 17 July, exclusively on Spotify. Details about further guests or the frequency of the format have not yet been announced.

The case exemplifies how realistic AI fakes can cause confusion on social media. Simonetti's account makes clear that even well-known personalities can become victims of manipulative AI content. Rojinski is therefore calling for regulation of the underlying algorithms in order to better protect users.

With a view to the upcoming podcast debut, both emphasized that they wanted to deliberately set their own accents. The format should be entertaining while also providing space for serious topics such as media literacy, it was said.

The dpa report was distributed via the dpa news channel. Simonetti and Rojinski announced that they would continue the discussion about algorithms and AI fakes in the podcast as well.