TLDR:
A Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Yvette Clarke, has stated that AI deepfakes are a bipartisan issue, following reports of AI-generated graphic images of Taylor Swift being spread on social media. The spread of AI-generated and altered images can cause emotional and reputational harm, particularly to women. Another Democratic congressman, Rep. Joseph Morelle, has introduced a bill to make sharing deepfake pornography illegal. The bill is supported by Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, who believes deepfakes are violations of privacy and must be made illegal.
Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, deepfakes, Taylor Swift, Yvette Clarke, Joseph Morelle
Key Points:
- Democratic lawmaker Rep. Yvette Clarke says AI deepfakes are a bipartisan issue.
- Rep. Joseph Morelle has introduced a bill to make sharing deepfake pornography illegal.
- Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, supports the bill and believes deepfakes are violations of privacy and must be made illegal.
Democratic lawmaker says AI deepfakes a bipartisan issue amid Taylor Swift incident
A Democratic lawmaker said that artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes are a bipartisan issue in the wake of reports of the recent spread of AI-generated graphic images of pop superstar Taylor Swift on social media. “What’s happened to Taylor Swift is nothing new,” Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said Thursday in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “For yrs, women have been targets of deepfakes w/o their consent. And w/ advancements in AI, creating deepfakes is easier & cheaper.” “This is an issue both sides of the aisle & even Swifties should be able to come together to solve,” Clarke continued.
Clarke’s New York colleague, Rep. Joseph Morelle (D), unveiled a bill last May to make sharing deepfake pornography illegal. In a release, his office said that advancement in technology has let deepfakes grow quickly. “The spread of A.I.-generated and altered images can cause irrevocable emotional, financial, and reputational harm — and unfortunately, women are disproportionately impacted,” Morelle said. “As artificial intelligence continues to evolve and permeate our society, it’s critical that we take proactive steps to combat the spread of disinformation and protect individuals from compromising situations online.” Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, praised the New York congressman in the release and said the bill will assist in protecting “personal privacy, safety and autonomy.”