Taylor Swift is mulling legal action against the platform that posted the deepfakes, sources said (File)
New Delhi:
Amid the AI-generated viral deepfakes of Taylor Swift, searches for the pop sensation on X (formerly Twitter) generated an error message. The X’s search function only displayed results for Ms Swift under its “Media” and “List” tabs.
According to a CNN report, Taylor Swift was still searchable using several Boolean operators. When a user put “Taylor Swift” with quotation marks or “Taylor AND Swift” in the search function, it yielded normal search results, it added.
This search function error didn’t appear on Instagram or Reddit, it further said.
This comes after sexually inappropriate and offensive AI-generated images of the American singer went viral on the internet on Thursday.
As per a report by Newsweek, one of the AI-generated pictures shows the singer in an explicit pose during a Kansas City Chiefs game. Notably, Taylor Swift has attended several NFL matches this season – she is dating American footballer Travis Kelce.
The report added that on January 15 the pictures originated from an AI celebrity porn website. Innumerable fans have come out in support of Ms Swift on social media since then.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also addressed the incident. “We are alarmed by the reports of the circulation of false images. We are going to do what we can to deal with this issue,” a Bloomberg report on Friday quoted her as saying.
The sexually explicit images of the pop sensation spread rapidly on the internet. As per news agency AFP, one of the pictures amassed 47 million views on X, before it was removed. It further added that the post was live on the platform for around 17 hours after being posted.
A source close to the Blank Space hitmaker revealed that she is furious and is also weighing possible legal action against the site responsible for her deepfakes.
The source said, “Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided but one thing is clear: these fake AI-generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative and done without Taylor’s consent and/or knowledge. The door needs to be shut on this. Legislation needs to be passed to prevent this and laws must be enacted.”