Fake porn images generated with AI models have spread virally on social networks.
In X they have blocked searches for Taylor Swift to avoid greater evils, something unusual on the platform
In recent days, explicit images of Taylor Swift generated with artificial intelligence have flooded the internet. The controversial images of the famous artist have caused a unique earthquake on social networks, with Swift’s fans supporting her and even doxxing the person responsible for the images. Now the singer is considering taking legal action against the creator of these deepfakes.
What happened. Last week, pornographic images of Taylor Swift generated with generative AI models began to proliferate on the internet. One of the most viral, appearing on X, attracted 45 million views, 24,000 reposts and hundreds of thousands of “likes.” The account of one of those responsible for spreading these images, Zvbear, is now private, but that post remained public for about 18 hours before disappearing.
Viral deepfakes. Although the original publication disappeared, the images were spread through multiple accounts. Many of them remain available and as a result of all this, new fake images with explicit content about the singer have appeared. The term “Taylor Swift AI” has become a trending topic, making those searches even more popular.
It all started on 4chan. According to 404, the images originated on 4chan, moved to a Telegram channel with explicit images of women, and then ended up being spread on Twitter. One of the tools used to generate these images was the Microsoft Designer platform that converts text into images. Some users even offered advice to others on how to create prompts that bypass that platform’s protections to continue creating explicit images. For example, using the phrase “Taylor ‘singer’ Swift” as part of that prompt instead of just using the name. At this time these types of tricks do not work on said platform.
The Swifties fight back. The singer’s fans, known as “Swifties”, began to mobilize trying to make the trend disappear by posting with the message “protect Taylor Swift.” Although many of the deepfakes disappeared, others are still active.
X reacts. Those responsible for Twitter (X) published a message last Friday warning how explicit content was “strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero tolerance policy regarding this content.”
Searches blocked. In fact, the social network yesterday began blocking searches related to Taylor Swift. As indicated in The Wall Street Journal, Joe Benarroch, head of operations at X, explained that the blockade “is a temporary measure” that has been done with great caution. If you try to search right now for the term “Taylor Swift” on These types of measures have also been activated in Threads, Instagram or Reddit.
Taylor Swift furious. According to MailOnline, the singer is “furious” with the situation and is considering taking legal action against the sites hosting these images. Meanwhile, Satya Nadella called deepfakes “alarming and terrible” in an interview with NBC Nightly News last Friday, adding that AI companies need to “move quickly” to establish barriers against these types of threats. At the White House, the Press Secretary also indicated on ABC News that they were “alarmed” about the situation.
Doxing Zvbear. X user @Zvbear has been in the spotlight of critics for being one of the origins of viral posts on the platform. Swift fans have doxxed Zvbear and claim to have identified him. According to this data, he would be a 27-year-old man from Toronto known for trolling and posting toxic content on platforms such as 4chan, X or Reddit.
The beginning of many more. The event has gained special notoriety for being centered on Taylor Swift, probably the most popular singer of this century. It is also a potential preview of what is to come: a threat to many people—and especially women—who will be attacked with pornographic or other types of deepfakes. As explained in Vice, the singer “is living every woman’s AI porn nightmare.”
Taken from: Xataka / Javier Pastor