X Blocks ‘Taylor Swift’ Searches After Explicit Deepfakes of Pop Star Go Viral
By Movieguide® Contributor
Explicit deepfakes of pop star Taylor Swift have been circulating the internet, calling attention to the dangers of deepfake pornography.
The Guardian defines a deepfake as “The 21st century’s answer to Photoshopping, deepfakes use a form of artificial intelligence called deep learning to make images of fake events, hence the name deepfake.”
The false, sexually explicit images of Swift went viral on X, formerly Twitter, last week, garnering over 27 million views and 260,000 likes within a span of 19 hours, per NBC.
X blocked her name from its search engine.
“Since last Sunday, searches for ‘Taylor Swift’ on X have returned the error message, ‘Oops, something went wrong,’” CBS News said. “X blocked the search term after pledging to remove the deepfake AI-generated images from the platform and take ‘appropriate actions’ against accounts that shared them.”
X notified users via its Safety account that “Posting Non-Consensual Nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content. Our teams are actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them.”
However, the incident highlights how deepfake and AI-generated pornography could impact more than just celebrities.
“This is not a new phenomenon: deepfakes have been around for years. However, the rise of generative AI has made it easier than ever to create deepfake pornography and sexually harass people using AI-generated images and videos,” MIT noted.
“Taylor Swift’s viral deepfakes have put new momentum behind efforts to clamp down on deepfake porn,” the source continued. “The White House said the incident was ‘alarming’ and urged Congress to take legislative action.”
There are a few tools that could help address the issue.
“One technical solution could be watermarks. Watermarks hide an invisible signal in images that helps computers identify if they are AI generated,” MIT Technology Review said.
There are also different protective tools that people can use to keep their images from being altered by AI “by making them look warped or distorted in AI systems.”
Movieguide® previously reported on AI:
AVENGERS star Scarlett Johansson is pursuing legal action against an AI app that used her likeness without permission in an ad.
“We do not take these things likely. Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal will it with all legal remedies that we will have,” Johansson’s lawyer, Kevin Yorn, told Variety.
The ad came to Johansson’s attention when it was posted on X. The endorsement began with an old clip of the actress on the set of BLACK WIDOW saying, “What’s up guys? It’s Scarlett, and I want you to come with me…” before the AI generation begins as a graphic covers the actress’ mouth.
The ad continued with an AI-generated voice that mimics Johansson, along with AI-generated images of her. “It’s not limited to avatars only,” the AI-generated endorsement continued. “You can also create images with texts and even your AI videos. I think you shouldn’t miss it.”