Taylor Swift AI Explicit Photos Swarm The Internet
Deepfake technology has now strayed into “Swiftie” territory, as explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift circulate the digital media platforms used by millions each day. Mainly present on X (formerly known as Twitter), the deepfake images of Taylor Swift circulated quickly but are now largely under control.
A Deepfake Taylor Swift Spread Across Social Media Like Wildfire
Tech industry leaders and anti-abuse groups have been working tirelessly to thwart the growing trend of deepfake infringement to little avail. The technology is still too new (even though it has been around for many years now), and there are still not enough defined legal parameters to keep tight reins on the issue of abuse.
Swifties Were Quick To Fight Back
However, the recent hit to Taylor Swift may be the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back” on the issue. Swift fans are fiercely loyal, and the power of Taylor Swift’s popularity is strong.
It was so strong that once “Swifties” caught wind of the issue, they flooded X with positive pictures of the pop star labeled with #ProtectTaylorSwift to digitally bury the offensive images in the algorithm. GenZ’ers fight a different kind of fight when their favorite stars are under duress.
Images Of Taylor Swift Hit All Social Media Platforms
Taylor Swift fans also worked together to locate and report the different profiles responsible for posting (and/or sharing) the AI images.
News of the infiltration of Swift’s privacy was first revealed by the deepfake-detecting group Reality Defender. The group said that they tracked an influx of “nonconsensual p*rnographic material” depicting Taylor Swift on X, the Meta-owned social platform Facebook, and other social media outlets as well.
The Internet Is Forever But Swifties Don’t Give Up
Mason Allen, responsible for working to grow Reality Defender’s reach/capabilities, said, “Unfortunately, they (the images) spread to millions and millions of users by the time some of them were taken down.” Word travels fast on the internet, and the people responsible for spreading the images likely counted on that fact.
Reality Defender’s researchers stated that they found at least two dozen unique AI-generated pornographic images during their investigation of the situation.
The Taylor Swift Images Were Obviously Fake
Most of the images passed around online featured Taylor Swift in suggestive positions and covered in red paint or imitation blood, standing amongst Chiefs fans or on a football field. Some of the images were stranger instances, even including Taylor Swift in suggestive positions with Oscar the Grouch.
A Potential Major Lawsuit
Brittany Spanos, a Rolling Stone writer who teaches a course on Taylor Swift at New York University, commented that Taylor’s fan base is well known for their “swift” mobilization in support of their artist. In this case, the deep fake image leak could be huge should Swift choose to pursue that matter in court.
Will This Get The Government To Act?
After setting a legal trend with her famous $1 lawsuit in 2017, Taylor Swift is not a woman to be toyed with on such matters. Researchers have already narrowed down the possible software that could be responsible for crafting the AI images. It seems realistic to think that technology could lead them to the person or persons responsible for uploading and sharing pictures with the world.
Only time will tell. One thing is for sure … we need more clearly defined legal parameters for the new technology on the market today.
Source: AP News
