Unsettling deepfake images of Taylor Swift, created by artificial intelligence or AI, circulated on the dark web for several weeks before surfacing on Twitter, as AI and disinformation expert Wasim Khaled revealed.
The expert shared that his colleagues, who analyze such content, were already aware of these images before they gained attention.
Unstoppable Threat
As the CEO and co-founder of Blackbird.AI, Wasim leads the charge in utilizing an advanced AI-driven risk and narrative intelligence platform to combat the spread of disinformation.
Speaking to The Sun, the team at Blackbird.AI collaborates closely with a group of skilled analysts.
During their vigilant monitoring process, they discovered a series of deepfakes circulating within obscure online forums for several weeks before eventually gaining viral attention.
"So these were being passed around on chat apps and forums for some time."
Taylor Swift finds herself in a fierce battle against the titans of the dark web.
The virtual realm has become a battleground as disturbingly realistic AI-generated images of the "Anti-Hero" singer engaged in intimate scenes have flooded the online platforms.
Interestingly enough, most of these fabricated images were cleverly tailored to align with the emblem and essence of the Kansas City Chiefs, thanks to her romantic affiliation with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who happens to be a player for the team.
Amid the chaos, there came a point where the feature to search for Taylor's name on X, formerly Twitter, was temporarily taken down.
Dark Web Danger
According to Wasim, the "Shake It Off" singer will face an uphill battle to eradicate AI images from the web.
He pondered upon the strategies her team might employ to impede their dissemination.
"Right now, the way she's going about it, and I believe her legal team's going about it, is to go after the company many have identified as where it was generated. But, there's a certain futility to that even though it's important to set an example."
The expert said that eliminating the primary source may seem practical, and making examples of a few wrongdoers may serve as a deterrent. However, it is essential to acknowledge that more will inevitably arise, akin to the regenerating heads of Hydra as described by Khaled.
In contemplating the takedown battle, the AI expert drew a parallel between this endeavor and the challenge of confronting counterfeit goods factories.
According to him, taking down these factories inadvertently brings more attention to the existence of a valuable product. It's as if shutting down one factory only highlights its significance.
But for those who are curious about whether it could completely erase specific images from the digital world, Wasim said the issue of sick deepfake imagery is not limited to its impact on Taylor Swift alone.
He believes that the widespread fame of Taylor Swift and the dissemination of these manipulated images online have shed light on a more profound underlying problem.
"There are also entire sites dedicated to deep fake celebrity imagery like this that has been circulating and talked about for quite some time, but nobody's done anything about it."
"Again, it's Taylor Swift, so now you have the White House talking about legislation, and as great as that is that it's drawn attention to the topic for the average person, it really should have been done a long time ago because it's such an invasion of the integrity of an individual," the expert went on to say.
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