A research firm has traced sexually explicit fake images of Taylor Swift that began circulating online last month to an already-infamous message board. Graphika found that a game-like challenge on 4Chan probably led to users trying to create lewd images of famous women, the New York Times reports. They were encouraged to find a way around safeguards in OpenAI's DALL-E, Microsoft Designer, and Bing Image Creator. Participants were told to share "tips and tricks to find new ways to bypass filters," then "Good luck, be creative."
"It's important to understand the gamified nature of this malicious activity in order to prevent further abuse at the source," said a senior analyst for Graphika, which analyzes social networks and disinformation. Experts said making a game of producing such content confers prestige and makes participants feel connected to a community. Graphika's report notes that 4Chan hosts conspiracy theories and hate speech, per CBS News. The message board did not respond to a request for comment.
OpenAI said that its tools were not used to create the fake images of Swift, while Microsoft said it's investigating. Software has been used to create fake pornography since at least 2017, per the Times. Graphika's report said the 4chan community that manipulated images of Swift did the same to likenesses of many actresses, singers, and politicians. (More Taylor Swift stories.)
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