The rise of deepfakes has been a major talking point on social media in the recent past with the technology posing a great threat to privacy, especially of celebrities whose AI-generated deepfake videos have been floating around on the internet. British auctioneer and television presenter Christina Trevanion also became a victim of the technology’s misuse.
On social media, Trevanion recently shared a reaction to explicit deepfake videos made using her likeness and without her consent. The presenter was understandably upset with the videos. Her comments are a reminder of actress Scarlett Johansson calling for strict limitations to be imposed on the technology and here is what she and Trevanion had to say.
Christina Trevanion opens up about her deepfakes floating online
Christina Trevanion is a British auctioneer and television presenter best known for appearing on reality shows such as Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip. Trevanion recently took to Instagram to voice her displeasure with AI-generated deepfake videos of her floating online.
During a clip show on Morning Live, Trevanion admitted to being distraught with the explicit nature of the videos created without her consent. She received links to some of these videos and found them deeply disturbing.
I was sent a very long list of sensitive URLs, where my head had been AI’d onto p****graphic videos and images. It was a sense of… this is unreal, this can’t be happening. Then, as it sort of sunk in, it was… It was deeply distressing.
Trevanion made the above statement on the show (via GBNews), adding that she felt utterly violated in every single way after watching the videos.
Following her tearful appearance on the show, Trevanion received an overwhelming amount of support on social media. She later took to Instagram and addressed her supporters, thanking them and the BBC for allowing her to speak out against the difficult subject.
Scarlett Johansson already warned us about the state of deepfakes
While explicit videos of celebrities created using deepfakes have slowly become a problem, the issue has become far more pressing in recent weeks, especially after a video of several Jewish celebrities opposing Kanye West and his antisemitic comments.
However, the video, which also features Scarlett Johansson was created using deepfake technology, causing the actress to give an official statement to People. In her statement, Johansson called for strict action to be taken against the creation of deepfake videos.
I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.
Johansson, who has also been a victim of deepfakes, made the above statement, arguing that the misuse of deepfake technology needed to be checked regardless of whether the videos were explicit like in Trevanion’s case.
Furthermore, the Black Widow actress also called for legislation to impose strict restrictions on the use of AI to create deepfakes, asking for the government to protect the citizens from the imminent dangers of the technology. As a result, Hollywood must take Johansson’s warning seriously and press the legislation for more strict laws.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
