Megastar Taylor Swift\u2019s endorsement of Vice President Harris shines a bright spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes, fears of which she said prompted her to take a public stance in the presidential race.<\/p>\n
Swift, 34, formally backed Harris<\/a> moments after Tuesday night\u2019s debate, citing concerns around the rapidly developing AI\u00a0technology and its power to deceive.\u00a0She specifically noted how former President Trump shared several fake images<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0her\u00a0and her fans last month, claiming he had her support.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,\u201d she wrote in the endorsement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Experts say the admission by one of the globe\u2019s most known superstars underscores a wider concern voters and public figures<\/a> are feeling when it comes to AI and its impact on the 2024 election.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s sharing of fake images of Swift isn\u2019t her first run-in with AI-generated content.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, fake sexually explicit images of Swift\u00a0circulated across the internet<\/a>, renewing calls from federal lawmakers<\/a> for social media companies to endorse their rules against AI-generated materials. Social platform X temporarily blocked searches<\/a> of the singer at the time to combat the fake images\u2019 spread.<\/p>\n \u201cHer having experienced two of the most pervasive permutations of that [AI], you know, intimate image deep fakes and now election related deepfakes just helps make the point that no one is immune,\u201d said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen<\/a>, a progressive consumer rights watchdog nonprofit.<\/p>\n Gilbert told The Hill the pop star is \u201ccorrect in identifying the immensely damaging harms\u201d that could come from the spread of AI misinformation, including in elections, and called for federal regulations<\/a> to address the matter.<\/p>\n The singer\u2019s massive following could be a unique opportunity to boost awareness about the spread of misinformation ahead of the November election, experts suggested. \u00a0<\/p>\n Swift’s endorsement of Harris, and in turn, her stance on AI, was broadcast to her nearly 284 million followers on Instagram, putting her in at least the top 15<\/a> most-followed figures on the social media platform.<\/p>\n \u201cTaylor Swift does have a very large platform, and I do think that awareness can be powerful here, at least as a starting point,\u201d Virginia Tech digital literacy expert Julia Feerrar told The Hill.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it’s not really on your radar that generated content might be something that you’re seeing, then just knowing that that’s a possibility is huge and gives you a different reaction when you see something that’s like, \u2018Hm, I don’t know about that.\u2019 I think I would imagine that for a lot of people who saw her statement, they might think back to that the next time they see something.\u201d<\/p>\n Feerrar noted the technology is still new for a lot of users, and Swift\u2019s endorsement serves as a large reminder to take precautions when seeing content that might already be aligned with users\u2019 biases.<\/p>\n Swift\u2019s high placement of AI in her endorsement may also draw more attention to the issue. Its mention in the second of five paragraphs \u201clends weight and value to the ethics of political advertising online\u201d and allows cyber misconduct to get \u201cmuch-deserved attention,\u201d Laurel Cook, an associate professor of marketing and founder of the Social Technology and Research Lab at West Virginia University, told The Hill.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the discussion grows, the potential benefit of incorrectly using digitally altered content wanes. In other words, it will soon no longer pay off to steal another person\u2019s image or likeness,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n Civic Responsibility Project founder Ashley Spillane agreed there was purpose behind Swift\u2019s messaging.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think that \u2026 she’s very thoughtful, and she is the expert on how to communicate with her community. And so I think she really did put a great amount of care into that communication so that it would resonate with her community,\u201d said Spillane, who authored a recent Harvard study<\/a> on the impact of celebrity endorsements.<\/p>\n Swift\u2019s concerns join those of other Hollywood stars speaking out about what they feel is a lack of safeguards surrounding the rapidly developing technology. In June, actor Scarlett Johansson said she was \u201cshocked\u201d to learn OpenAI\u2019s Chat GPT rolled out its AI assistant that she claimed sounded<\/a> \u201ceerily similar\u201d to her voice.<\/p>\n Celebrities do have the advantage of mobilizing a platform to quickly debunk deepfake images or AI-generated content, unlike most of the public, some experts said.<\/p>\n