Following the millions of views that explicit Photoshopped images of Taylor Swift received online, US lawmakers have called for new legislation that would make the creation of deepfake images illegal.
The pictures were shared on various social media platforms, such as Telegram and X.
US Representative Joe Morelle described the photo’s dissemination as “appalling.”
In a statement, X said that it was “appropriately taking actions” against the accounts that were disseminating the images in addition to “actively removing” them.
“We’re closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are addressed immediately and the content is removed,” the statement continued.
Many of the pictures seem to have been taken down since they were published, but one of Swift was reportedly viewed 47 million times before it was removed.
On X, searches for “Taylor Swift” are no longer possible, nor are searches for “Taylor AI” and “Taylor Swift AI.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used in “deepfakes” to create videos of people by altering their features or bodies. According to a study conducted in 2023, artificial intelligence has contributed to a 550% increase in the production of doctored images since 2019.
While there have been state-level initiatives to address the issue, there are presently no federal laws prohibiting the sharing or production of deepfake images.
Deepfake pornography sharing was made illegal in the UK in 2023 by the Online Safety Act.
Representative Morelle, a Democrat, has called for immediate action on the issue. Last year, he unveiled the proposed Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which would have made it illegal to share deepfake pornography without consent.
“Can cause irreversible emotional, financial, and reputational harm – and unfortunately, women are disproportionately impacted,” he said of the pictures and videos.
According to the State of Deepfakes report released last year, the vast majority of deepfakes posted online are pornographic, with women constituting 99% of those targeted in such content.
The situation involving Taylor Swift is not new, as Democratic Representative Yvette D. Clarke stated on X. Women have “for years” been the target of technology, she said, adding that “deepfakes are easier & cheaper to create with advancements in AI.”
With a statement that it is “clear that AI technology is advancing faster than the necessary guardrails,” Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. agreed.
“We need to set up safeguards to combat this alarming trend, whether the victim is Taylor Swift or any other young person in our country,” he continued.
Swift has not made any public comments regarding the pictures, but according to the Daily Mail, her team is “considering legal action” against the website that posted the artificial intelligence-generated photos.
As billions of people worldwide cast ballots in this year’s elections, concerns about content created by artificial intelligence have grown.
An inquiry was started this week after a phony robocall purporting to be from US President Joe Biden. AI is believed to have created it.