US lawmakers call Taylor Swift AI deepfake ‘appalling’, seek new legislation
US lawmakers have called for swift legislation to criminalise the creation of deepfake images, after explicit images of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift went viral online on social media sites, including X and Telegram.
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (AP)
Calling the spread of fake images “appalling” on X (formerly Twitter), US Representative Joe Morelle advocated for immediate action on the matter and passing of the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, a legislation he penned to make non-consensual deepfakes a federal criminal.
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Democratic Rep Yvette D Clarke used the similar social media platform to stress that women have been victims of AI for years, adding that creating deepfakes has become more accessible and affordable with technology advancements.
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Echoing similar sentiments, Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr in a statement said that it is “clear that AI technology is advancing faster than the necessary guardrails”.
“Whether the victim is Taylor Swift or any young person across our country, we need to establish safeguards to combat this alarming trend,” he added.
In a statement, X mentioned it is actively removing the images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for spreading them. “We’re closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed,” it said.
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While Swift has not spoken publicly about the fake images, a Daily Mail report stated that her team is “considering legal action” against the site which published the AI-generated images.
Swift is “furious” over the disgusting violation of her privacy and dignity, report stated.
Speaking to Daily Mail on Thursday, a source close to Swift called the incident “shocking” and sought strict laws to prevent such acts.
“Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided but there is one thing that is clear: these fake AI generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative, and done without Taylor’s consent and/or knowledge,” the source said.
“The Twitter account that posted them does not exist anymore. It is shocking that the social media platform even let them be up to begin with. These images must be removed from everywhere they exist and should not be promoted by anyone.”
Stressing that Swift’s family and close friends are upset, the source noted: “The door needs to be shut on this. Legislation needs to be passed to prevent this and laws must be enacted.”
This week, several explicit photos were posted to Celeb Jihad that show Swift performing various sexual acts in the stadium and while wearing Kansas City Chiefs gear.
Swifties, the pop singer’s admirers, quickly expressed their displeasure and indignation at the photos of the singer, and they intervened by stifling the trending subject “Taylor Swift AI” with irrelevant messages. They demonstrated their support for Swift, who has been negatively impacted by the disgusting habit of making NSFW and phony images.
