With more than 60 elections taking place around the world this year, the risks posed by deepfakes was already a bubbling concern - until Taylor Swift took the issue stratospheric.  Deepfake explicit images of the US musician created by generative AI went viral on X, prompting officials and analysts to start to properly reckon with the problems posed by the technology.

We explore the scenarios in which synthetic media created by generative AI are posing problems, the way platforms like OpenAI are responding, emerging regulatory responses, and discuss where responsiblity for solving this issue truly lies.

Links:

Article about Taylor Swift AI deepfakes on X (The Verge) https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/27/24052841/taylor-swift-search-blocked-x-twitter-ai-images

Article about altered image of Victorian MP (ABC News) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-01/georgie-purcell-ai-image-nine-news-apology-digital-ethics/103408440
OpenAI's response to Gen AI abuse https://openai.com/blog/how-openai-is-approaching-2024-worldwide-elections
Article about lawmaker response to Taylor Swift deepfakes (The Verge) https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24056385/congress-defiance-act-proposed-ban-nonconsensual-ai-porn
DEFIANCE Act https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/releases/durbin-graham-klobuchar-hawley-introduce-defiance-act-to-hold-accountable-those-responsible-for-the-proliferation-of-nonconsensual-sexually-explicit-deepfake-images-and-videos?ref=popsugar.com&=___psv__p_49334216__t_w_
Popsugar article on the Taylor Swift Deepfakes https://www.popsugar.com/tech/ai-deepfakes-taylor-swift-sexual-harassment-49334216 Link for reporting online harm to esafety commission https://www.esafety.gov.au/report

Credits: Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.au

Music by Bensound.com