As technology continues to advance, the possibility of misuse looms large.
One such incident recently occurred when Los Angeles-based video editor and political satirist Justin T. Brown used AI to generate images depicting prominent politicians like Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden in fictional infidelities.
This series was dubbed “AI will revolutionize the blackmail industry,” and it sparked a heated debate that led to Brown’s banishment from the Midjourney AI art platform he was using for his project.
Despite being banned from using Midjourney, @JuuustinBrown hopes his provocative works will move the needle on AI policy discussions. https://t.co/ULZEJY9gpJ
— Decrypt (@decryptmedia) July 4, 2023
Brown’s goal with these images was to warn about the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) being abused.
Sadly, it has become increasingly clear that AI can be weaponized in ways never thought possible before, leading one user on Twitter to comment that “the right AI images or video at the right time could tank the market, cause a riot, or send someone into a pizza shop with a gun”.
In fact, The New York Times reported that campaign regulations allow politicians to use AI-generated images ahead of 2024’s presidential election however, current defenses against this sort of thing have been largely ineffective so far.
Midjourney et al have some safe guards in place, but you can get around them with creative prompting or repeated requests. These generators are mostly just mashing up photos available on the internet. Privacy, copyright, dignity, and safety be damned
Bernie cheating on his wife: pic.twitter.com/uxSCXevQFd
— JustinTBrown (@JuuustinBrown) May 26, 2023
It is not just politics where AI poses dangers, as demonstrated by many other examples out there – such as when GOP used MidJourney to create ads “imagining” a future with Biden reelected as president or even when Donald Trump created an entirely fake conversation between Elon Musk, Adolf Hitler, and Ron DeSantis.
Malicious actors can use AI for their own gains in any number of situations or scenarios they choose.
Whilst all this may feel very ominous and overwhelming, Brown himself proposed a solution: “We better start getting a handle on it now” by having an international conversation about technology and its implications.
This conversation is something we must start taking seriously if we are to protect ourselves from becoming victims of malicious intent and unwarranted manipulation.
