Jenna Ortega, a 21-year-old actress, revealed in an interview with The New York Times that she deleted her Twitter account after experiencing a “terrifying” encounter with AI-generated pornographic images of herself when she was a minor. She expressed her strong dislike for artificial intelligence, stating that while it can have positive applications, it has also been misused online. Ortega recounted receiving unsolicited explicit images on her Twitter account when she was just 12 years old, leading her to ultimately delete the account due to the overwhelming amount of inappropriate content she was exposed to.
Ortega’s story is reflective of a troubling trend of nonconsensual AI-generated deepfakes, particularly targeting women and girls. Research shows that more sexually explicit deepfake videos were posted online in 2023 than in all previous years combined, with Ortega being among the most targeted celebrity women. Other young actresses, such as Xochitl Gomez and Taylor Swift, have also fallen victim to nonconsensual deepfake content circulating online.
The issue extends beyond celebrities, with teenage girls across the United States being targeted with fake nude images created using AI. Some states have enacted legislation to address deepfake pornography, but recourse for victims remains varied and lacks cohesion nationwide. Instances of students using generative AI to create and share fake nude images of their classmates have caused concern in schools, highlighting the pervasive and harmful nature of AI-generated deepfakes.
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