Deepfake porn could be a growing problem amid AI race

Experts fear people will use the technology to harm others, primarily through online sexual violence, deepfake pornography, and fake nude images, writes Haleluya Hadero

Research into deepfake porn is not prevalent, but one report released in 2019 by the AI firm DeepTrace Labs found it was almost entirely weaponised against women. File picture

Artificial intelligence imaging can be used to create art, try on clothes in virtual fitting rooms, or help design advertising campaigns. But experts fear the darker side of the easily accessible tools could worsen something that primarily harms women: nonconsensual deepfake pornography.

Deepfakes are videos and images that have been digitally created or altered with artificial intelligence or machine learning. Porn created using the technology first began spreading across the internet several years ago when a Reddit user shared clips that placed the faces of female celebrities on the shoulders of porn actors.