In 2023, more deepfake abuse videos were shared than in every other year in history combined, according to an analysis by independent researcher Genevieve Oh. What used to take skillful, tech-savvy experts hours to Photoshop can now be whipped up at a moment’s notice with the help of an app. Some deepfake websites even offer tutorials on how to create AI pornography.

What happens if we don’t get this under control? It will further blur the lines between what’s real and what’s not — as politics become more and more polarized. What will happen when voters can’t separate truth from lies? And what are the stakes? As we get closer to the presidential election, democracy itself could be at risk. And, as Ocasio-Cortez points out in our conversation, it’s about much more than imaginary images.

“It’s so important to me that people understand that this is not just a form of interpersonal violence, it’s not just about the harm that’s done to the victim,” she says about nonconsensual deepfake porn. She puts down her spoon and leans forward. “Because this technology threatens to do it at scale — this is about class subjugation. It’s a subjugation of entire people. And then when you do intersect that with abortion, when you do intersect that with debates over bodily autonomy, when you are able to actively subjugate all women in society on a scale of millions, at once digitally, it’s a direct connection [with] taking their rights away.”

  • magnusrufus@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Was cp never legal? Are you sure we haven’t made things illegal that we’re previously legal? People have this weirdly defeatist view about regulating ai deep fakes that doesn’t seem based on anything solid.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Was cp never legal?

      No, it was never legal.

      Are you sure we haven’t made things illegal that we’re previously legal?

      Please re-read my post and do not put words in my mouth.

      People have this weirdly defeatist view about regulating ai deep fakes that doesn’t seem based on anything solid.

      I gave extremely solid reasoning. What have you said that is so solid?

      • magnusrufus@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Nah you haven’t really backed up with any solid reasoning. All laws have a date they were codified and enacted. Before that date the activities they covered were not yet illegal. Cp was at some point legal. Not long ago marital rape was perfectly legal. Now it’s not. Revenge porn laws are going into effect. You totally can take something awful that was legal and make it illegal. It might not be immediate, perfect, or without resistance but it can be done and has been done, even recently.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          It was never legal because all pornography was illegal first. And unless you want to go back to pre-Christian Rome, that’s how it’s been for centuries.

          I’m still waiting for your solid reasoning, because so far, your ‘reasoning’ has been ‘you can totally do it.’

          • magnusrufus@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            I don’t think you are trying very hard to see beyond your defeatist position. The revenge porn example should land close enough to the mark for you to see that things that were legal can be made illegal. Even types of porn can be made illegal. So because it has literally been done before, yes you can totally do it.

            Also yes the centuries ago interpretation is fine. Still shows taking something that was legal and making illegal.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              I’m sorry, but “pornography was legal in the pre-Christian Roman Empire, therefore we can stop deepfake porn now” is your so-called solid reasoning?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  Since I have requested you to give me your solid reasoning multiple times and you haven’t, and since you also put words in my mouth, you claiming I’m the one not engaging honestly is laughable.

                  • magnusrufus@lemmy.world
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                    3 months ago

                    You are usually better than this. I did give you a perfectly applicable recent example of a type of porn being made illegal but you are ignoring it and misrepresenting my argument, after getting touchy about words being put in your mouth. You requesting multiple times and then choosing to ignore the valid response is a failing on your part.