Baltimore artists create giant Taylor Swift mural of star wearing Lamar Jackson jersey

Explicit AI-generated images of Swift shared on X

The mural was certainly the least offensive “art” shared of the pop star this week. Sexually explicit AI-generated nude images of Swift racked up 27 million views and more than 260,000 likes in 19 hours, according to NBC News, before the account that posted the images was suspended. X, formerly Twitter, has a policy that ban AI-generated content that causes harm, which would include the images of Swift. The phrase “Protect Taylor Swift” began trending on the platform as a result of a campaign by her fans on Thursday.

The controversy led to a response from Rep. Joe Morelle, D.-N.Y. week. Morelle, who introduced a bill in May 2023 that would federally criminalize nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes, posted on X about the star’s predicament, writing, “Yet another example of the destruction deepfakes cause.” The bill has not moved forward since it was introduced, despite the issue beginning to become pervasive in U.S. schools.

The DailyMail received a comment from a “source close to Swift,” revealing that the singer is considering legal action.

“Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided but there is one thing that is clear: these fake AI generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative, and done without Taylor’s consent and/or knowledge,” the source shared. “The Twitter account that posted them does not exist anymore. It is shocking that the social media platform even let them be up to begin with. These images must be removed from everywhere they exist and should not be promoted by anyone. Taylor’s circle of family and friends are furious, as are her fans obviously. They have the right to be, and every woman should be. 

‘The door needs to be shut on this. Legislation needs to be passed to prevent this and laws must be enacted.’