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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Arwa Mahdawi

Nonconsensual deepfake porn is an emergency that is ruining lives

An AI-generated deepfake image of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket.
An AI-generated deepfake image of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket. Photograph: Reddit

Porn and the pope

The overall economy might not be in great shape, but the nonconsensual deepfake porn economy? That’s in rude health. AI-generated imagery has been around for a long time now but it’s recently become disturbingly sophisticated. See, for example, all the people who were taken in by the viral AI-generated photo of the pope in a puffy jacket, created by AI-based image generator Midjourney. The pope in an ostentatious coat may be amusing but the dark side of this technology is no laughing matter. A recent investigation by Kat Tenbarge at NBC News shows just how disturbingly pervasive and accessible nonconsensual deepfake porn has become.

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