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On January 26, 2024, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) released a statement addressing two recent AI controversies: explicit AI deepfakes of musician Taylor Swift circulating on X (formerly Twitter) and the internet, and a YouTube comedy special that impersonates the late comedian George Carlin, marketed as AI-generated but actually human-written.
The union’s position aligns with its previous skepticism towards AI, which it maintained during its strike. Eventually, they agreed to resume production with the condition that human actors would control their own AI likenesses in future film and TV productions.
These scandals have heightened the union’s concerns about the technology and its harmful impact on performers whose images are being used without their consent. They emphasized that creating and sharing fake images, especially those of a lewd nature, should be made illegal. Society has the power to regulate these technologies, but immediate action is necessary.
A tumultuous month for AI content
While it is unclear if Taylor Swift is a SAG-AFTRA member, she has acted before and is rumored to be in the upcoming Deadpool 3. Recently, various X accounts and websites like Celeb Jihad posted deepfake images of her in explicit scenarios, with fans of her football player boyfriend Travis Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, involved. X was slow to remove these images, which garnered millions of views before being taken down. Eventually, searches for Swift’s name were blocked on the platform.
Meanwhile, a new comedy special titled “George Carlin: I am Glad I’m Dead” was released on January 11, 2024, by the “Dudesy” comedy AI program, created by comedian Will Sasso and podcaster Chad Kultgen. Initially believed to be AI-generated, it turned out to be human-written. Nonetheless, the video faced criticism and a copyright lawsuit from Carlin’s daughter, leading to its removal.
Despite clarifications that the Carlin special was not AI-generated, SAG-AFTRA responded as if it were, voicing their concerns alongside the real AI-generated Taylor Swift explicit deepfakes. They are working with lawmakers to pass legislation protecting individuals’ voices and likenesses, for both living and deceased performers.
The explicit AI images of Taylor Swift are deeply troubling and highlight the urgent need for legislation to make producing and sharing such fake images illegal. As technology developers and users, we must act swiftly to curtail these abuses. SAG-AFTRA supports legislative efforts like U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle’s Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, aimed at stopping such exploitation.
Similarly, George Carlin’s work, built from years of dedication to comedy, should not be replicated for profit without consent. Protecting human creativity from unauthorized AI usage is crucial. SAG-AFTRA stands with the Carlin family in their legal battle against those exploiting his work without permission.
White House backing and legislative efforts
The White House has expressed concern over the Taylor Swift AI deepfakes and believes social media companies should enforce rules to prevent the spread of non-consensual imagery. Congress is also urged to take legislative action on these issues. Republican Congressman Tom Keane and Democratic Congressman Joseph Morelle have introduced bills calling for AI-generated images to be labeled and for non-consensual deepfakes to be made a federal crime, punishable by fines and imprisonment.
The urgency of making non-consensual deepfakes illegal is evident, and there is significant public demand for action from lawmakers. The big questions remain: how quickly will they act, and in what manner?
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