The problems of deepfakes have been thrown into sharp relief recently. A mother and her 14-year-old daughter have been campaigning for better protection for victims after their daughter’s nude images, generated by AI, were circulated at a New Jersey high school. Similarly, officials on the other side of the country are investigating a similar incident involving a teenage boy in suburban Seattle, Washington.
These disturbing cases highlight the increasing prevalence of explicit AI-generated material, which disproportionately harms women and children and is flourishing online. An analysis by independent researcher Genevieve Oh revealed that over 143,000 new deepfake videos were posted online this year, surpassing the total of all previous years combined.
Affected families are demanding that lawmakers put in place robust safeguards for victims of manipulated images, as well as regulation to provide nationwide protections and deter perpetrators. “We’re fighting for our children,” said Dorota Mani, whose daughter was a victim. “They don’t care about political affiliations; they just want to be loved and safe.”
Deepfakes are not a new problem, but experts warn that it is worsening as the technology becomes more accessible. The proliferation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material using depictions of real victims or virtual characters has been a cause for concern this year. Several states have implemented their own laws to tackle the issue, but there is a lack of uniformity and consistency in protection.
However, progress is being made, with some states passing legislation to criminalize nonconsensual deepfake porn and impose penalties on those who spread it. State Sen. Kristin Corrado of New Jersey introduced a bill to ban deepfake porn and penalize offenders with jail time, a fine, or both.