The Horrifying Consequence of Deep Fakes with AI

I usually check the “yes” box when schools, sports teams or academic clubs ask permission to use my daughters’ photo in promotional materials. I trust they will use them respectfully.

But for the first time the other day, I checked the “no” box. 

Artificial intelligence is the reason.

If you’ve followed the news lately, there have been stories about the rise of AI “fake nudes” circulating on the internet. This is where, using an AI app, someone can take an ordinary, fully clothed photo of a person and turn it into a nude or pornographic photo of them.

It’s horrifying.

How Do You Prevent Deepfakes?

Though many AI image-generators block users from doing this, some open source software provides its code publicly, allowing users to create nudes and porn. There’s little recourse at the moment to stop it. There are no federal laws against it and only a few states have enacted regulations, according to a recent Washington Post article.

This is even more reason to caution and implore your daughters not to post photos on social media or share them so freely with boys (or girls, for that matter). 

There have always been dangers with photos and videos on social media – Remember Erin Andrews’ $55 million Peephole Video lawsuit? With AI booming, women and girls are even more vulnerable.

Educate and Be Aware

I have had several discussions with my daughters, 15 and 11, about the dangers of digital photos. I explain how they can travel well beyond a friend’s phone and be manipulated and misused. And once they’re out there, they’re out there. 

The mother of one of my daughter’s friends reached out to me a couple of years ago pointing out that an expletive-laced phrase appeared on top of a benign image my daughter posted. With a little digging, I realized someone else had “stamped” the language on top of the image after she had posted it.

This is tame compared to what’s happening now with AI fake nudes. 

Perpetrators Should Pay

For a while, we forbade my oldest daughter from using SnapChat because of the risks. I’m thinking about going back to that.

Certainly, there are a lot of benefits with AI, and there are more to come. But its ability to literally “undress” girls in photos, duplicate voices and images is unnerving. 

I will continue to educate my girls and all girls about the risks and urge our lawmakers to create harsh penalties for those who violate girls and women alike with AI. Andrews made her perpetrator pay. The same accountability should be demanded for the cowardly makers of deep fake nudes and porn. Better yet, is there an AI tool to prevent it?

Note: The image used with this post is AI-generated. The writing is NOT.