Dan Haiem is the founder and CEO of AppMakers USA, helping business leaders design, build and scale apps that deliver real-world impact.
As someone who is leading a company that builds mobile apps and that has used AI in several aspects of the development process, I’ve always known about deepfakes but only in theory—until we became a victim of one.
Over the years, deepfakes have outgrown the internet jokes and movie effects and are now being used to mimic leaders’ voices, fabricate images of employees and stage convincing fraud attempts that can drain a company’s accounts in minutes.
In our case, it was a strange video that appeared to show one of our app prototypes leaking private user data. The client who saw it immediately raised concerns and was on the verge of pulling out of the project before we could explain that it was fabricated—it was a deepfake.
It didn't take a massive scandal for me to realize that the deepfake was a direct threat to trust, credibility and the integrity of what we create.
The Implications Of Deepfakes For Modern App Builders
When you develop platforms that handle personal or sensitive data, the margin of error is zero.
In a nutshell, deepfakes introduce a new layer of vulnerability because they amplify the concern of code security or whether users, investors and even internal teams can trust what they see. A Europol Innovation Lab report mentioned that experts call this situation an "Information Apocalypse" in which deepfakes could create societal confusion about which information is reliable.
This means one thing for app builders: Without proper protocols in place, deepfakes can lead to companies losing user confidence in product authenticity, similar to how public institutions risk losing citizen trust. We can’t afford that.
So after our incident, we started taking a more structured approach to deepfake prevention. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned and what other leaders can apply in their own teams.
Run internal “deepfake drills.”
Just like a cybersecurity test, simulate what happens if someone circulates a fake version of your product or leadership message. These drills revealed gaps we never noticed before, like which teams respond first and who approves public statements.
It sharpens your team’s response and exposes communication gaps before a real incident does.
Create a response playbook.
We built a detailed, cross-department playbook defining who handles what if manipulated content surfaces, starting from PR and product to engineering and client-facing teams. This kind of playbook is like an emergency manual for brand credibility, and I believe that quick alignment limits misinformation spread.
Collaborate with compliance and AI experts.
From what happened, I learned that no one can tackle deepfakes alone.
We partnered with outside AI ethics specialists and compliance consultants to audit how synthetic media could target our clients and apps. Together, we introduced contract clauses that define how clients and partners should respond to deepfake incidents, built detection protocols and made transparency part of our brand promise. This reinforces a culture of accountability.
Educate clients and partners.
Every fake that spreads thrives on unawareness. Many organizations still treat deepfakes as a theoretical risk—just like we did before our incident happened.
So we now include awareness modules in client onboarding and quarterly briefings where we share verified examples and steps for response. By educating others, we’re building a network of partners who can spot and stop misinformation early. It’s an ecosystem approach to defense.
Protecting What We Build
Deepfakes have changed how I lead and how we build. I no longer think of privacy and trust as checklist items; instead, I treat them now as the foundation of our credibility.
Protecting what you build is equivalent to building as if someone will try to fake you tomorrow.
Truly, you can’t stop every piece of synthetic content from surfacing, but you can control how prepared your organization is to detect it, respond to it and reassure your clients when it happens. In the end, deepfakes test more than our security; they test our integrity as builders and leaders.
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