” Swift is far from the only woman, famous or otherwise, to have been subjected to AI-generated explicit images of themselves without their permission…Swifties have been vocal in the need for more protections to prevent this from happening, such actions likely won’t come very easily.” – Rolling Stone.com
Taylor Swift’s public outrage over being targeted by deepfake porn is the tip of the iceberg.
Thanks to easy access to AI tools, there’s a limitless selection of build-your-own AI-generated porn.
And your daughter, sister, or partner could be the next victim to be consumed. So is watching AI-generated porn ethical? Let’s look at some evidence.
Some say watching AI-generated porn is ethical.
If you’re not fully convinced of the harms of porn, watching AI-generated porn might seem like an ethical solution. After all, no real humans are harmed in the making and selling of AI-generated porn, right? Some popular opinions floating around online seem to validate this train of thought.
“To be honest, I kinda feel AI porn is actually more ethical than the current porn industry. Much like written or drawn porn, it does not rely on the objectification of actual people. Instead, it can fill a niche without hurting anyone…” ~ anonymous online forum discussion
So, is watching AI-generated porn okay? Ready for some cold, hard facts? We researched the latest news reports and actual data about porn and artificial intelligence.
Let’s start here: “Is AI-generated porn actually created ethically?”
To properly answer this, we have to understand that deepfake porn and legal AI-generated porn are almost impossible to tell apart.
Why does deepfake porn created by generative AI matter?
First of all, let’s define the term deepfake.
According to MIT.edu, “A deepfake refers to a specific kind of synthetic media where a person in an image or video is swapped with another person’s likeness.”
Some call it “face-swapping,” but deepfake porn videos also include AI voice recordings mimicking the victims’ voices. Both aspects are scary for the victim.
Deepfake porn may be used as blackmail or sextortion. It’s another form of having your identity stolen online and used in ways that don’t reflect who you really are as a person.
Due to advances in generative AI, deepfakes created now are so realistic and convincing that one small-town teacher recently lost her job. Angry parents discovered deepfake AI porn videos of her online and didn’t believe they were fake. Her story represents a rising tide of unexpected victims.
Another fair question to ask is: “How big is this deepfake porn problem, really?”
“The presence of deepfakes has ballooned since then (2019), while the response from law enforcement and educators lags behind, said law professor and online abuse expert Danielle Citron. Only three U.S. states have laws addressing deepfake porn.” – The Washington Post
In the past, deepfakes differed from revenge porn (actual nude images easily shared without consent). Pretty decent computer skills were required for creating deepfakes just a few years ago.
5 Ways AI porn harms people.
One of the biggest arguments people cite in favor of ethical porn is that it’s a chosen line of sex work, and people should be allowed to make this choice.
For example, consider the rapid growth and popularity of OnlyFans, a site promoting paid creators of self-generated porn. However, now you will find nonconsensual deepfake porn generated by AI, even on OnlyFans. You will be unable to know the difference, though.
Why does this matter to you?
1. AI-generated deepfake porn is weaponized as revenge porn.
Today creating realistic deepfake porn is easy, even for young high schoolers. And deepfakes are being used every bit as maliciously as illegal revenge porn (sexual material shared without consent by an irate ex).
Yes, deepfake AI nudes are being used as a revenue stream in the porn industry. But many deepfakes are also used to harm, bribe, or sextort another individual they don’t even know.
2. Everyone’s digital footprint affects their future potential.
Clearly this issue directly impacts people’s futures and livelihoods. For example potential employers will check out someone’s digital footprint. Anyone’s face is a potential target now.
“…research also identified an additional 300 general pornography websites that incorporate nonconsensual deepfake pornography in some way.
The researcher says “leak” websites and websites that exist to repost people’s social media pictures are also incorporating deepfake images. One website dealing in photographs claims it has “undressed” people in 350,000 photos.” ~ Wired.com
Once deepfake images using a real person’s face are created, it’s almost impossible to remove them from the internet completely. And this trend is affecting normal, everyday people, not just numerous celebrities, including Taylor Swift.
3. Women are the most targeted victims of AI-generated deepfake porn.
“Sensity AI, a research company that has tracked online deepfake videos since December of 2018, has consistently found that between 90% and 95% of them are nonconsensual porn. About 90% of that is nonconsensual porn of women.” – technologyreview.com
A few AI companies are waking up to this fact. Others behave like the Wild West of the internet – unregulated, careless, and reckless with human lives and reputations.
“Although OpenAI, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have finally removed the ability to create sexual imagery, there are still dozens of free software out there that do the exact same thing.” aiconsequences.com
Even AI companionship bots personally trained by their users have started getting out of hand.
“But it’s not just explicitly human-created deepfakes that are sexualizing users without their consent. Sometimes the AI tools are doing it themselves, without human input.” FastCompany.com
4. The “non” in nonconsensual deepfake AI porn is image-based sexual abuse.
Deepfake AI-generated porn throws consent and respect for people off a cliff – and many are crushed by the fall.
Let’s clearly define the problem. Creating, viewing, sharing, and profiting off of nonconsensual deepfake AI porn is image-based sexual abuse.
“We define image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) as the creation, theft, extortion, threatened or actual distribution, or any use of sexualized or sexually explicit materials without the meaningful consent of the person depicted.” – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation
5. Mental health issues are fueled by image-based sexual abuse.
For some victims, the resulting mental distress and shame is deadly.
“When another teenager, Audrie Pott, killed herself in Northern California after nude pictures of her were posted without her consent, California legislators finally mobilized, setting off a wave of state laws across the country.” ~ technologyreview.com
“Flynn, the Monash University professor, says her research has found “high rates” of mental health concerns—such as anxiety, depression, self-injury, and suicide—as a result of digital abuse.” Wired.com
Is watching AI-generated porn a form of cheating?
Some will say watching AI-generated porn is better than physically cheating – or even watching regular pornography. We hope the research will compel you to reconsider.
Is watching generative AI porn ethical, though? Remember the high probability of nonconsensual deepfake images existing on AI porn platforms. What if this were your wife, girlfriend, daughter, or sister? Someday soon, it could be!
Indeed, consider your own moral compass – which may need data-driven adjustments. Also, keep in mind your faith and your relationship with your spouse/partner. Being brutally honest with yourself and others is the key to recovery on a porn-free journey.
Also, ask your partner, Do you consider watching any and all porn cheating? If they feel safe to answer you honestly, then we suspect that most would answer that with a YES.
Quitting AI porn - and all porn - is the ethical choice.
At Ever Accountable, our passion is to empower people everywhere to quit porn through the power of accountability. We believe that all porn harms people in many ways.
Over and over again, our customers tell us that their lives are SO much better off without porn. If you don’t consider watching AI-generated porn ethical (or any form of porn), doing so erodes your self respect.
“It has been over two years since I have viewed porn, and I am very proud of that! Now I have a feeling of self respect. Your company is helping many people like me achieve this.” – Bruce
Choosing online accountability helps empower you to quit porn! Your choice matters greatly because AI porn is rapidly infecting and harming people all over the globe.
Stay tuned for Educational Accountability part 2 : How AI-generated porn is harming teens.
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Works Cited
wired.com, https://www.wired.com/story/deepfake-porn-is-out-of-control/. Accessed 26 January 2024.
Cole, Samantha. VICE, 12 January 2023, https://www.vice.com/en/article/z34d43/my-ai-is-sexually-harassing-me-replika-chatbot-nudes. Accessed 26 January 2024.
“Deepfake Pornography: Beyond Defamation Law — Yale Cyber Leadership Forum.” Yale Cyber Leadership Forum, 20 July 2021, https://www.cyber.forum.yale.edu/blog/2021/7/20/deepfake-pornography-beyond-defamation-law. Accessed 26 January 2024.
Hao, Karen. “Deepfake porn is ruining women’s lives. Now the law may finally ban it.” MIT Technology Review, 12 February 2021, https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/12/1018222/deepfake-revenge-porn-coming-ban. Accessed 26 January 2024.
Hunter, Tatum. “AI porn raises flags over deepfakes, consent and harassment of women.” The Washington Post, 13 February 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/13/ai-porn-deepfakes-women-consent/. Accessed 26 January 2024.
Knutsen, Thomas. “The Problem With AI-Generated Porn (2024).” AIConsequences, 9 May 2023, https://aiconsequences.com/the-problem-with-ai-generated-porn/. Accessed 26 January 2024.
https://fightthenewdrug.org/would-ai-generated-nudes-solve-the-ethical-problems-of-porn-sites/. Accessed 26 January 2024.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34845370
