MIT Technology Review is reporting that adult content creators are increasingly facing nonconsensual use of their bodies in deepfakes and AI training data, leading to significant psychological and financial harms. The publication highlighted the experience of a psychotherapist, identified by the pseudonym Jennifer, who discovered a deepfake featuring her body with someone else's face, created from content she made over 10 years ago.
It said that while discussions about sexualized deepfakes often focus on the faces of celebrities or other individuals, the bodies used are frequently those of adult content creators. As generative AI and "nudify" apps proliferate, the issue has become more complex, with performers' work being used as training data for AI-generated bodies, threatening their livelihoods and rights. The article noted that AI advancements also enable the recreation of performers' likenesses without consent, potentially involving them in acts they haven't agreed to or even perpetrating scams against fans.
The publication reported that adult content creators experience significant mental distress, including what experts call "embodied harms," such as body dysmorphia and the feeling of being part of someone else's abuse. Attorney Corey Silverstein, specializing in the adult industry, said he hears daily from actors concerned about AI exploitation. Legal recourse is challenging, as copyright violations are difficult to prove if a body lacks distinguishing features, and current laws like the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes publishing nonconsensual intimate imagery, could inadvertently harm performers by allowing the removal of legally produced content.
MIT Technology Review said that platforms are often slow to remove problematic content, and many deepfake producers operate from countries that disregard U.S. law. It also noted that while some performers are attempting to protect their AI likenesses through contracts with AI duplicate sites, these measures are often unreliable and difficult to enforce given the scale of online content. The publication concluded that the risks associated with AI have made the adult content industry far more unpredictable and dangerous for creators.
Full Article: The shock of seeing your body used in deepfake porn