Deepfake nude photos created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology have become a “frightening Reality for Teens” in the United States, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.
Girls with nude photos created by artificial intelligence face bullying and prejudice, even when everyone knows the photos are fake, the teens say.
For the people whose nude photos are faked, who are often young girls, the images trigger feelings of shame, fear, and loss of control. Also, their parents are often completely unaware of the process of fabricating these images.
“They would be looked at as dirty, despite their word that it was fake,” one Las Vegas teen said. He continued: “No matter what, there would be people who don’t believe them.”
The teenager’s speech came as part of a series of interviews and surveys conducted by Human Factor, a strategic company that contributes to solving such problems.
In February, the company’s researchers spent two days in Westfield, an affluent suburb in Iowa, interviewing students, parents, and other community members.
The company then conducted a survey of more than 1,000 students, teachers, and parents across the United States last March and April, and came up with guidelines for parents and teachers.
When the students were asked who would be more affected by fake nude photos, the person who created them, or the victim in them, 73 percent of participants answered the victim.
The subject “can still face bullying and judgment, even when everyone knows the pics are fake,” said a student in El Dorado, Illinois.
The researchers also found that the only people who could effectively report this to the authorities were the victims’ fellow students, because the images were either shared in private group chats or on platforms like Snapchat.
The students said in the survey that they would not report these images to the school authorities if they saw them in a group chat for fear of getting into trouble, adding that they would not confront the person who created the images unless they knew him well.
About 60 percent of the students surveyed by the researchers said they believed their peers would use artificial intelligence to create fake nude photos.
