For several days, a photo of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence has been circulating on social networks such as Twitter and Instagram, which in fact never existed. The image created by artificial intelligence is so realistic that many users have mistaken it for real, ignoring details that expose its falsity.
Jennifer Lawrence and the threat of artificial intelligence-generated images: Potential drift and concerns
The problem with these artificially created images is the risk that they can be used in harmful ways, opening the door to potentially worrying deviations. One of the main dangers is related to “revenge porn”: if a famous face can be morphed into an imaginary body, it is not hard to imagine that the faces of ordinary people can also be inserted into compromising images. Millions of photographs of women are available online and once published, without any privacy controls, can be used against them.
Another worrying change is the effect on women’s body image. The rampant use of filters and retouching on social media, combined with the capabilities of artificial intelligence, has led more and more people to believe that the “perfect” bodies shown online are real, creating a disconnect from reality. In Jennifer Lawrence’s case, the smug comments left beneath the mutilated image show how much the trend can affect real body perception.
Therefore the development of artificial intelligence and its application in images and videos raise important ethical and security issues. To protect the privacy and security of those involved, it is essential to understand the risks associated with these technologies and establish clear rules for their use. Only through a responsible and conscious approach can we meet the challenges presented by artificial intelligence and guarantee the ethical and safe use of these powerful technologies.