Taylor Swift, Joe Biden: Massive deepfakes tsunami floods the internet

Deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence have proliferated on social media this month, claiming a string of high-profile victims and elevating the risks of manipulated media into the public conversation ahead of a looming US election cycle.

Pornographic images of singer Taylor Swift, robocalls of US President Joe Biden’s voice, and videos of dead children and teenagers detailing their own deaths all have gone viral — but not one of them was real.

Misleading audio and visuals created using artificial intelligence aren’t new, but recent advancements in AI technology have made them easier to create and harder to detect. The torrent of highly publicized incidents just weeks into 2024 has escalated concern about the technology among lawmakers and regular citizens.