Taylor Swift caught up in deepfake furore after Trump posts AI image
Republican candidate Donald Trump has come under fire after he shared an AI-generated image of Taylor Swift asking the American people to vote for him in the US presidential election
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Tay Tay has hit back at claims she endorsed* Donald Trump for the 2024 US election after Mr Trump shared AI-generated* images claiming the singer supported him.
Former US president Donald Trump posted a fake social media image of Swift asking people to vote for him in the November election.
AI-generated images of Swift dressed up as Uncle Sam* – an iconic* image used during the World War I era to encourage men to enlist in the army – were posted on the social media platform Truth Social with the caption: Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.
In the post, Mr Trump said he “accepts” the endorsement of “Swifties for Trump”.
But a Swift insider* told the Daily Mail that Tay Tay wasn’t having it.
“If she didn’t support him last time, she’s not going to support him now,” they said.
“He’s clearly lost it. In more ways than one.”
Mr Trump also posted photos of young women wearing “Swifties for Trump” shirts, and a satirical* article with the headline including the phrase “Swifties Turning to Trump.” The article was marked “satire” above the headline.
While the group “Swifties for Trump” is real, started by Wisconsin’s Jenna Piwowarczyk, the series of images of the singer and some of her fans were clear deep fakes*.
The singer has links to the opposing party, the Democrats. Swift endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and could make a starring appearance at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, where Mr Trump’s rival and current Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign for presidency.
Swift also criticised Mr Trump in a 2020 documentary.
Swift’s supporters are already calling for Mr Trump to be sued* over the AI use of the singer’s likeness. Swift is said to be particularly sensitive to the issue after deep fake images of her went viral* online earlier this year.
Members of the music industry have been pushing for new laws and other measures to fight the explosion of fake AI images online.
Consumer group Public Citizen said Mr Trump’s post was “yet another example of AI’s power to create misinformation*.”
“The potential harms to our society that could result from such misinformation, including abuses of our elections, are wide-reaching and immensely* damaging,” the group said.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- endorses: publicly supports
- AI-generated: fake images created by using Artificial Intelligence, or AI
- iconic: very famous or popular
- Uncle Sam: a cartoon figure of a man with long white hair and beard, wearing a tall hat, striped trousers and a shallow tailed coat. Uncle Sam was used on enlistment posters during WWI and was pictured pointing his finger at the viewer with the caption ‘I want you for US Army.’ Uncle Sam has become a symbol of the US Government
- insider: someone close to Taylor Swift
- satirical: humorous, poking fun at something
- deep fakes: images that aren’t real and have been created by AI but look very real
- sued: legal action to be taken out against him
- viral: when an image, video or post gets shared millions of times in a short period of time
- misinformation: false or incorrect information that people believe is true
- immensely: greatly
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QUICK QUIZ
1. Which iconic character was Taylor Swift portrayed as in the AI-generated image posted by Trump?
2. Which political party does Swift have links to?
3. True or false – there is a group called Swifties for Trump?
4. Why is the AI-generated image of Taylor Swift a “sensitive issue” for the singer?
5. How does AI play a role in spreading misinformation?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Do we need to know?
‘This story is about the US election, Australian kids don’t need to know about this!’ Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use information from the story to write a very convincing paragraph.
Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship
2. Extension
Imagine that you are interviewing a spokesman for the group Public Citizen. Your purpose is to find out more about their views on using deep fake images. Write at least three questions. Then write the answers that you think that they would give.
Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship
VCOP ACTIVITY
Another problem with AI!
How are we supposed to know what is real and what is fake these days?
With AI content and images becoming increasingly harder to spot, it’s hard to know what to believe.
Come up with one positive and one negative application where AI can or is being used. Share it with your class to discuss the impacts.