AI and Deepfakes: Why are Celebrity Deepfakes Flooding Social Media?

Picture this: you open up a social media platform and the first thing you see is an explicit photograph of your favorite celebrity. Even though you quickly determine that it was generated by AI, you might feel shocked that some people would seek such images out because you know that, deep down, everyone knows what this is—a profound invasion of privacy. 

So who’s creating these deepfakes and why do they seem to trend across social media platforms? 

The answer is complex. The rise in availability of AI tools that can do everything from remove clothes to change what someone is saying has provided exciting advancements in media and entertainment. But it also blurs the lines between what’s true and what’s fake. And at the hands of people with malicious intentions, this can get dangerous—fast. 

Not all AI tools are used for malevolent reasons, though. 

Varying uses of AI generators 

AI-made nudes or deepfakes are usually created with AI image generator tools. Because these tools are essentially AI software that use machine learning and the analysis of large data sets to create these images, when more people use these tools, the AI gets smarter, faster, and better. 

While the creation and distribution of celebrity deepfakes is a big unethical downside to AI generators, these tools also come with many benefits for people looking for alternative options to traditional photography:

High-quality and more professional photography

Transform regular photos to exceptional ones. With AI tools like Portrait Pal, users upload a few simple selfies to generate realistic headshots for social media platforms or for professional uses—in just a few hours, and at a fraction of the price of a professional photographer.

Push the boundaries of art

Artists and graphic designers are no longer confined by the physical limits of what’s possible in the 3D world. AI art generator tools like MidJourney, Dall-E, and Leonardo can make even the most avant-garde of ideas a reality.  

Unparalleled convenience

Gone are the days where post-image processing would require hours of painstaking editing and tweaking. From the creation of full AI movies using tools like OpenAI’s Sora to instant photo editing using AI in Adobe Photoshop, user convenience is at the forefront of these advancements. 

So, where do deepfakes come in? 

AI can also be misused 

AI deepfake tools can be used for some of the above benefits, but there’s always a darker side to every new technology on the market. 

Whether it’s for personal curiosity, revenge, blackmail, or more, the creation of highly-realistic deepfakes isn’t as simple as clicking a few buttons and hoping for the best. Instead, these so-called deepfake creators spend a painstaking amount of time uploading different photos of subjects into these generators and tweaking them with the use of other AI tools. 

The end result is usually shockingly life-like and almost indistinguishable from an actual nude photograph or video. As you can imagine, these deepfakes can have detrimental effects on a person’s reputation and emotional wellbeing. They even have rippling effects for the wider society. 

• Deepfakes can be used to “ruin” a celebrity’s reputation and make them the center of undesired attention or online bullying. 
• Deepfakes can be used for blackmail, revenge pornography, or other online sexual exploitations. 
• Deepfakes can be used to spread propaganda, disinformation, and fake news through news platforms, social media channels, or even political campaigns. 

Our fascination with celebrity deepfakes

Some people will argue that there’s a supply for every demand when it comes to deepfakes. Meaning, as long as the public remains equal parts disgusted and fascinated with celebrity deepfakes, their creators will continue to churn them out for money, notoriety, attention, or even just for a cruel laugh. 

Celebrities are no stranger to being at the forefront of our envy, fascination, and topic of conversation. While most of us understand the unethical nature of distributing deepfakes, some otherwise upstanding people have fallen prey to clicking on these links and viewing these images—even if it’s just out of curiosity? 

In January 2024, pop star Taylor Swift became a victim of explicit deepfakes that flooded the social media platform, X. While her dedicated fans quickly swarmed the site in a bid to take them down, the damage had already been done. 

One image amassed 47 million views. And although X suspended the accounts that were sharing these deepfakes, the images had already been shared across other social media platforms. 

And here lies one of the biggest reasons why AI-generated deepfakes are such a controversial topic in modern society: once the images are out there, it’s hard to track the perpetrators and even harder to control the spread and take them down. 

The future of celebrity deepfakes on social media 

One reason why AI deepfakes are so hard to control is due to how new they are in society. The rise in accessibility and use of these innovative tools has only really exploded in recent years. This means that the laws surrounding the creation and distribution of these images are only in their infancy. 

But will deepfakes increase in prevalence or decrease? 

With more education around the topic and laws being in place to protect celebrities and everyday people alike, the generation and sharing of these AI-made deepfake images across social media sites are expected to decrease. 

However, this also depends on how committed we are as a society to uphold our ethics and morals surrounding deepfakes. As with all AI technology, if it’s used for good, this can mean that productivity, convenience, and societal advancements will increase by leaps and bounds.. But when used for malicious reasons, this can mean tighter laws and

regulations around even the most beneficial aspects of AI, restricting our ability to use AI even for legitimate reasons.

 

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The Jezebel editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.