Actress/Director Scarlett Johansson, Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/15512543@N04/2185543324/, Author John Harrison at https://www.flickr.com/photos/15512543@N04/, Permission Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
A new word has entered our vocabulary. To “nudify” is to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create deepfake images which appear to show the individuals depicted as naked [1]. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson have been among those famously victimized.
Thousands of nudify apps exist to accomplish this, and have rapidly gained popularity [2][3]. Many work only on images of women. And, as might be expected, many use social media for marketing purposes.
Thus far, victims have typically been school girls who posted innocent photos of themselves online [4]. However, anyone of any age can use these apps to convert harmless online images into what appear to be embarrassing photos and videos of children, teens, teachers, parents, police officers, pastors, or others in the nude.
Once the nude images have been created, they can circulate on all the digital platforms commonly used for messaging today.
Impact
Such images are often used as revenge porn with a deliberate intent of humiliating and degrading the individual pictured. Whatever the intent, the impact on victims is overwhelmingly negative. Not only embarrassment, but anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation can result. Continue reading
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