Shortly after Taylor Swift would reportedly be taking legal action against pornographic AI images of herself that have made the rounds online, SAG-AFTRA has spoken out in the pop star’s defense. The acting union called the generated pictures “upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning,” according to Variety.
“The development and dissemination of fake images — especially those of a lewd nature — without someone’s consent must be made illegal,” they shared. “As a society, we have it in our power to control these technologies, but we must act now before it is too late.”
“We support Taylor, and women everywhere who are the victims of this kind of theft of their privacy and right to autonomy,” the union added in the statement.
The outlet notes that during the SAG-AFTRA strike that took place a few months ago, the performers fought to receive “contract provisions that require both consent and payment for use of AI to digitally replicate an actor’s performance.” They have also fought for laws that would ban being able to replicate someone’s image without consent for deepfake pornographic images — or even other harmful aspects.
Even during a recent White House press briefing, one of the questions was if President Biden supported the AI ban. “It is alarming,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, shared. “We are alarmed by the reports of the circulation of images that you just laid out… There should be legislation, obviously, to deal with this issue.”
Swift has not said anything about the situation yet.