White House urges tech industry to close market for sexually abusive AI deepfakes

President Joe Biden’s administration is taking a stand against the growing market of abusive sexual images made with artificial intelligence technology. The White House is urging tech companies and financial institutions to shut down the spread of explicit AI deepfakes, which have become increasingly prevalent on chatrooms and social media platforms.

The use of generative AI tools has made it easy to create realistic images of individuals, including celebrities and children, in sexually explicit scenarios without their consent. This has led to a wave of nonconsensual imagery that targets women and girls, causing significant harm and distress.

Biden’s chief science adviser, Arati Prabhakar, emphasized the urgent need for action, stating that the private sector must take responsibility for curbing the creation and monetization of abusive AI images. The administration is calling for voluntary cooperation from companies to implement specific measures to address this issue.

One of the most widely known victims of pornographic deepfake images is Taylor Swift, whose fanbase rallied against the circulation of abusive AI-generated images of the singer-songwriter earlier this year. Schools in the U.S. and elsewhere are also facing challenges with AI-generated deepfake nudes of their students, highlighting the widespread impact of this issue.

While the Biden administration has made strides in addressing AI-related concerns, including the signing of an executive order to guide AI development safely, there is a pressing need for legislation to support these efforts. The administration is urging Congress to take action and allocate funding to combat the proliferation of AI-generated abusive imagery.

As the fight against abusive AI images continues, it is essential for companies and lawmakers to work together to protect individuals from the harmful effects of nonconsensual imagery created with artificial intelligence technology.