One year ago, I wrote an opinion piece sounding the alarm on the pervasive use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that permits any smart phone user the ability to take a photograph or screenshot an image of a person from any internet/social media site and create an electronically painted pornographic image of the same person—known as a “deepfake.” Deepfakes are synthetic media generated using AI that can convincingly replicate a person’s appearance, voice, or mannerisms. Deepfakes now achieve photorealistic quality, with AI capable of rendering fine facial details, subtle expressions, and complex lighting.
At that time, I warned of the widespread use of this AI technology, the lack of adequate protections for children in the law, the lack of oversight or corporate governance by social media companies, the failure of parents to adequately monitor their children’s use of the AI technology, and the very difficult task assigned to legislatures to regulate this area of technology in light of various competing public and private interests. That warning was not theoretical. It stemmed from a real and deeply troubling incident in my hometown of Westfield, New Jersey, where I witnessed children, unprotected and unaware, being thrust into a digital nightmare.