AI Image Generators Banning People For Making Pics Of Politicians Cheating
Digital artist Justin Brown, who used AI image generator Midjourney to produce fake photos of politicians cheating on their spouses, has been banned from the program. The collection of images, titled “AI’s Impact on the Blackmail Industry,” aimed to demonstrate technology’s potential as a dangerous weapon when used to portray scenarios that could inflict harm on innocent individuals.
Among the personalities depicted in Brown’s AI fake image series were various politicians, including notable figures from the 2024 presidential race. The photos see incumbent President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in compromising positions.
However, Brown told PetaPixel (via The Byte) Midjourney only took action against Brown after he shared the images on Reddit.
“After gaining some traction on Reddit, the series [of AI images] was removed by moderators, and the Midjourney ban followed almost immediately.”
-Justin Brown
The digital artist also noted that this is the only time he’s been banned by the site.
“I’ve come up against blocked prompts in the past — for naughty words or controversial figures — but never received a ban.”
-Justin Brown
The ban is concerning that the images were only flagged after they were shared on a third-party site. This supports Brown’s claim that others could be producing similar images without detection from Midjourney.
What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to help people create artwork easily and quickly. It uses different AI technologies to generate unique images. With Midjourney, users can create all types of images without any restrictions for free. The app is available to download on both Android and iOS devices.
The application utilizes a range of AI algorithms, such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Long Short Term Memory networks (LSTMs), and Convolutional Neural Networks, to produce images. Users are required to provide a prompt, which can be as brief as a few words or as comprehensive as a complete sentence describing the desired image they wish to generate.
Digital artist Justin Brown has been banned from Midjourney for using the program to create images of prominent politicians cheating on their spouses.
Brown also emphasized his concern regarding AI’s capacity to spread disinformation, underscoring the need for a global dialogue on the subject.
“I never presented the images as real. But I do know that some of those images have been taken and shared out of context by others, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some people who believed they were real… But to some extent, that’s part of the project. This kind of disinformation will continue to happen, next time by bad guys with bad intent, so we better start getting a handle on it now.”
-Justin Brown
Moreover, The New York Times recently published a report highlighting how loopholes in campaign regulations have facilitated the circulation of AI-generated images by politicians.
In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, this could prove disastrous. To make matters worse, the presence of social media regulations and AI content detection safeguards have proven largely ineffective in stemming the surge of fake content. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.
Additionally, fake AI-generated content can violate people’s privacy by creating and circulating images or voice recordings without their consent. This not only infringes upon personal boundaries but also opens the door to potential misuses, such as blackmail or identity theft, which was highlighted by Brown’s experiment.
The legal and ethical implications of fake AI media cannot be ignored either. Intellectual property rights and copyright laws can be infringed upon, leading to significant legal and financial consequences. Furthermore, the use of fake content for fraudulent or defamatory purposes is a growing concern that must be addressed.
Due to the rise of AI, trust and credibility of digital media are at stake.
