Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, Citing AI Concerns and Trump's Fake Post

Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president -- will it matter?

Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president on Instagram on Tuesday. Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images hide caption On Tuesday night, Taylor Swift made a much-anticipated endorsement - she's backing Vice President Harris for President. "She fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them," Swift wrote on Instagram. "I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos." Last month, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reposted an AI-generated image of the pop star wearing an Uncle Sam outfit, in which he accepted her seeming endorsement of his campaign. The post appeared on the politician's Truth Social network. (He's since denied he knows anything about the images.) But Swift wrote that this incident conjured up her fears around AI, and spurred her to share her "actual plans for this election as a voter." Back when Trump posted the AI image, we took a look at the history of celebrity endorsements and their effects. You can read that story here: Celebrity endorsements are as much a thing in politics as they are in consumer products. "Celebrities draw increased engagement, increased attention, and they increase conversation," said Ashley Spillane, the author of a new study from Harvard's Kennedy School on celebrity engagement in politics -- focusing on civic participation. "And no matter the political party or the candidate, there is a real hunger to be affiliated with the celebrities that can do that." Spillane said her research shows you don't have to be a star as big as Swift to influence voters. "Some of the other folks with a smaller base were having just as significant an impact because they have an incredibly engaged base of support as well," she said. There's a long history of big names throwing their weight behind White House hopefuls. It extends back to 1920 when film stars Mary Pickford and Al Jolson endorsed Warren G. Harding. Frank Sinatra explained his support of future president Ronald Reagan at a fundraising event in Boston in 1979. "Why do I support Governor Reagan?" Sinatra said. "Because I think he's the proper man to be President of the United States. Because it's so screwed up now, we need someone to straighten it out." Oprah Winfrey offered her reasons for backing Barack Obama on The Larry King Show in 2007. "What he stands for, what he has proven he can stand for, what he has shown, was worth me going out on a limb for," Winfrey said. A 2008 study from Northwestern University assessed the impact of Winfrey's endorsement of Obama. It showed the media star was responsible for around one million additional votes for the 44th president. But other research tells a different story. For instance, a 2010 report from North Carolina State University found celebrity endorsements by George Clooney and Angelina Jolie did not help political candidates. And having famous people cheerleading for your political campaign isn't foolproof. "It could backfire," said Wharton School of Business professor of neuroscience, psychology, and marketing Michael Platt, the author of a 2023 study on celebrity endorsement. "Maybe it's a celebrity that you don't like or is not aligned with you politically." There's also the potential problem of the celebrity being too famous. Platt calls this the "Vampire Effect." "They suck up all our attention, right?" he said. "Which means there's less attention, less processing, that's given to the candidate that you might be endorsing." The rise of social media and deep-fakes created by artificial intelligence, such as those of Swift falsely appearing to endorse Trump, is also an issue. "There have been manipulated celebrity photographs since the beginning of photography, certainly, but the rampant use of AI and its ubiquity are what is new," said Douglas Mirell, an entertainment lawyer with the Los Angeles firm Greenberg Glusker who works to curb unauthorized uses of AI. "It is so pervasive and so potentially manipulable, that people can't tell what's true and what's not true. So AI really does create a much more serious threat to the fundamental touchstone of democracy, which is truth-telling." Mirell said the impact of AI-generated images, on election results remains to be seen. "When we're talking about people like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, their endorsements would be potentially very important," he said. "And that's why I think everyone really needs to be concerned about this issue."

Taylor Swift cites 'fears around AI' as she endorses the Democratic ticket

After a historic presidential debate replete with discourse about eating pets, Taylor Swift ended the evening with a bang. Arguably the most powerful figure in American pop culture, the singer-songwriter chose debate night to announce on Instagram that she plans to vote for Kamala Harris in the presidential election. Swift's endorsement is monumental. She holds enough political sway to drive tens of thousands of Americans to register to vote, simply by sharing a link. But more surprisingly, she also used her announcement to express her concerns around AI deepfakes. Swift wrote on Instagram: "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." By writing about her experience being deepfaked to show support a candidate for whom she doesn't actually plan to vote, Swift's statement seemed a bit more personal. "Her statement, in my opinion, was super thought-out and written in such a compelling way, but the AI piece gives her a personal viewpoint that not everyone else would have about this election and what the candidates are doing," Linda Bloss-Baum, an American University professor in the Business and Entertainment program, told TechCrunch. Celebrities, especially ones as prominent as Swift, are particularly vulnerable to deepfakes, since enough photos and videos of them exist online to conjure especially sophisticated AI fakes. "One of the things I'm seeing a lot of in my practice right now is the rise of AI impersonators across the board for endorsements," Noah Downs, an IP and entertainment lawyer, told TechCrunch in August. These fake AI endorsements have become so widespread that even "Shark Tank" had to publish a PSA to warn fans about the prevalence of scams that impersonate the show's investors. As for Swift, the artist has been the subject of viral, nonconsensual, AI-generated pornography, sparking discussion from lawmakers seeking to legislate against this harmful byproduct of generative AI. "This certainly happens all of the time with average people sadly that have had their name, image, and likeness deepfakes with AI products," Bloss-Baum said. But when celebrities like Swift are implicated, it can make lawmakers pay more attention. "As a longtime lobbyist for the entertainment industry, I can tell you that you get more attention when you go to Capitol Hill with celebrities telling their stories," she said. When deepfakes play a role in the election to one of the most powerful seats in global politics, the stakes are a bit higher than an uncanny valley version of Lori Grenier selling diet supplements. But as election day looms closer, the U.S. holds little to no legislative ability to deter the spread of this misinformation across social media, where voters are getting their news more than ever. "Unfortunately, AI is playing a bigger role in this election, just because of the proliferation of the technology," Bloss-Baum said. "We've been subject to robocalls in the past, but now, the technology has gotten so good that they really can be deepfaked in such a way that the callers won't necessarily know that it's not the candidate." Bloss-Baum said that since Swift is a Tennessee resident, she could potentially sue former president Trump under the ELVIS Act. Since the law is so new, however, there is little legal precedent. Regardless, Bloss-Baum thinks that consumers and celebrities alike will have more power to defend themselves if federal legislation were passed. She sees the bipartisan NO FAKES Act as particularly promising, but it's unlikely that there will be any meaningful legislative change before the election in early November. "There's positive things campaigns are using AI for, I'm sure, with data collection and analytics, but we need to be careful that AI is not misrepresenting candidates," Bloss-Baum said.

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, Calls Out Donald Trump's Fake AI Post

Expertise I have more than 30 years' experience in journalism in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Tuesday, citing AI-generated deepfake images posted by Donald Trump that appeared to represent her support for the former president. The popular singer-songwriter, who had previously been silent about her stance on the candidates, announced her decision on Instagram after watching Tuesday night's debate between Harris and Trump, saying that Trump's deepfakes "conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter," Swift said. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." Swift's endorsement of Harris comes just weeks after Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he had accepted Swift's support. He also posted some AI-generated deepfake images of Swift and her fans, known as Swifties, seemingly showing support for the Republican presidential nominee. The advancement of artificial intelligence over the past several years has made it easier for people to generate convincing deepfakes -- manipulated images or video showing people doing or saying they didn't. Experts worry these deepfakes could affect how or even if people vote ahead of the November presidential election. Swift went on to encourage voters to do their own research on the issues and to register to vote. The Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

There's Another Key Message in Swift's Harris Endorsement

Minutes after the presidential debate ended on Tuesday, Taylor Swift mobilized her enormous fanbase in support of Kamala Harris by endorsing her in an Instagram post that quickly garnered 8 million likes. Swift's decision wasn't altogether surprising, given that she supported Joe Biden in the 2020 election and recently offered hints, in true Taylor fashion, that she was headed in this direction. But what was especially notable in her Instagram post was that it spent as much time praising Kamala Harris as it did warning the public about the dangers of AI. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," Swift wrote. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." Swift was referring to a post from Trump in August on Truth Social, his social media site, which appeared to show the superstar and her fans endorsing him. He captioned the photo with: "I accept." But the images looked glossy and had strange visual details, because they were created with AI. Many viewers of the images were able to immediately identify them as fabricated. And following Swift's post, it appears that her response refuting the images had a greater impact than the AI images themselves. But the incident could be a harbinger of plenty of AI-driven conflict in elections for years to come. "We are already in a bit of a crisis where a lot of American voters don't trust elections," says Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at the nonprofit Public Citizen. "If we're going to have this type of campaign going on all around us, feeding us information that doesn't exist, trying to influence our votes based on that -- the entire integrity of elections is very much at risk." During the 2020 presidential election, AI tools were still largely rudimentary. In the time since, the capabilities of these tools have improved at an astounding clip. Users around the world can now use AI to create realistic images, images, and audio. Fake social media profiles that spread propaganda can be created cheaply; political parties can use AI to quickly send personalized messages to thousands of potential voters; and fake event photography and even voicemails that sound like celebrities can be put together easily. Some of these tools have been used in political influence campaigns. Last year, the RNC released an AI-generated video depicting a future dystopia if Joe Biden were to be re-elected. Elon Musk shared an AI image photo of Kamala Harris in Soviet-style garb, writing on X that she wants to be a "communist dictator from day one." A fake video of a Chicago mayoral candidate making inflammatory comments about police shootings was released on the eve of that election in February and watched thousands of times on X before it was taken down. And during the Indian election this year, deepfakes were deployed en masse to create misleading videos of Bollywood celebrities and ads with Hindu supremacist language. Read More: As India Votes, Modi's Party Misleads Online Taylor Swift has been the frequent subject of many AI efforts, given her massive celebrity. Early this year, AI-generated pornographic and sometimes violent images of her were widely circulated on social media. The images helped spur legislation in the U.S. aimed at protecting deepfake victims, including the DEFIANCE Act, which allows deepfake victims to sue people who create, share or receive them, and passed the Senate in July. AI companies also scrambled to respond: Microsoft said that it was "continuing to investigate these images" and added that it had "strengthened our existing safety systems to further prevent our services from being misused to help generate images like them." And Swift's involvement is part of a growing backlash against AI from some of the world's most prominent cultural figures. Beyonce recently spoke out against AI misinformation in a GQ interview, saying: "We have access to so much information - some facts, and some complete bullshit disguised as truth...Just recently, I heard an AI song that sounded so much like me it scared me. It's impossible to truly know what's real and what's not." Meanwhile, earlier this year, Scarlett Johansson blasted OpenAI for releasing a chatbot voice seemingly modeled upon hers. Trump has had a long-standing fascination with Swift, including calling her "fantastic" in 2012 and "unusually beautiful" in 2023. In February, Trump took credit for some of Swift's success, posting on Truth Social that if she were to endorse Joe Biden, it would be "disloyal to the man who made her so much money." But when Trump decided to post the deepfakes on Truth Social in August, his attempt at collecting Swifties appeared to have backfired. The post allowed Swift to frame her endorsement of Harris as a moral obligation; as if she had no other choice but to respond to misinformation. It also sucked up all the oxygen that Trump hoped to gain on debate night: by Wednesday morning, "Taylor Swift endorsement" was the second trending topic on Google, trailing only "who won the debate." In her early years of fame, Swift refrained from speaking about politics, telling TIME in 2012 that she didn't believe she knew "enough yet in life to be telling people who to vote for." Over the last six years, she's waded into politics sparingly, but with purpose, always giving strong justifications for her statements. In 2020, for example, she accused Trump of "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency." This year, Swift remained silent on politics until last night's endorsement, garnering criticism from many people who urged her to use her unrivaled platform to make a difference. Read More: Watch Tim Walz React to Endorsement From 'Fellow Cat Owner' Taylor Swift It's unclear what impact these efforts have had on voters: many researchers argue that voters are more discerning than people fear, and that the potential influence of AI misinformation on elections is overblown. However, Holman, at Public Citizen, says that those studies relied upon outdated AI tools. He points to a deepfakes database created by researchers at Northwestern earlier this year, which has documented hundreds of political deepfakes, many of which have resulted in real-world harms, the researchers found. "We're in a whole new era right now," Holman says. "Technology has become so convincing, so persuasive, and so indistinguishable from reality, that I am quite convinced it's going to have a much more serious ramifications on future election cycles."

Taylor Swift's Harris endorsement turns tables on abusers who degraded her with a viral power

Whoever said a lie could get around the world before the truth had its boots on clearly didn't envision the force of a megastar like Taylor Swift, who on Tuesday demonstrated that she could get ahead of any falsehood in an instant. The singer's blockbuster endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, posted immediately after Tuesday's presidential debate, has ended speculation over whether the singer would publicly back the campaign. It has also done another very important job. The 34-year-old fought back against a technology that had been used to mischaracterize her views -- not to mention degrade and sexualize her -- and turned its viral power back on those who cynically abused it. Also Read: Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for US president after election debate Weeks earlier, former President Donald Trump had pushed AI-powered disinformation that suggested Swift and her fans, known as Swifties, were backing him in the Nov. 5 election. Contained in the post on his Truth Social site were several cheaply made fakes, the kind of material that is coming to be known as AI "slop" generated with minimal effort using any number of the powerful tools now available for free. The sole purpose of these images is to go viral on social media, truth be damned. The Guardian reported that the fake endorsement was an idea drummed up by a "murky" right-wing non-profit. According to Swift, it was this act that prompted her to go public with her backing of the Harris campaign. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she wrote in a post on Instagram. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter." We can only speculate about whether she would have publicly endorsed the ticket anyway. It doesn't really matter. With 283 million Instagram followers, Swift has likely already reached a greater number of people with her endorsement than Trump did with the original offending post on Truth Social, which according to SimilarWeb saw a total of 16.5 million visits globally last month. It has turned what had been an attempt to deceive a small number of gullible people into a calamitous own goal. Swift's announcement has achieved global attention and swamped the internet. Her previous political stances have prompted a rise in voter registration, primarily among young, typically Democrat voters. Even itchy-fingered Trump will surely now think twice about firing out posts with deep fakes or other AI-powered falsehoods in the future -- lest he provoke someone else into publicly embarrassing him while holding a cute cat. What actual difference Swift's backing will have on the election will be hard to measure. But from a technological perspective, it is a notable moment in US political history -- the most significant intervention we've seen in the electoral process stemming from the fraudulent use of AI, though perhaps not in the way some might have predicted. For the last few years, researchers and misinformation specialists have warned about AI fakery's potential role in deceiving voters. These concerns went into overdrive once tools made by OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., and others became widely available. Unconvinced by legislative paralysis in Washington and insufficient safeguards on social networks, experts have been watching the run-up to November's vote from behind the sofa -- worried that a "deep faked" image or clip might take hold and impact people's judgment. Or, the mere existence of AI would make it possible for real occurrences to be written off as fake, such as Trump's recent bogus claim that crowds at a Harris rally had been computer generated. In that example, alternative footage confirmed the Harris crowd was very much there, of course, and fact-checkers descended on social media and news outlets to counteract Trump's dishonesty. Now, in the question of Swift's endorsement, reality again wins out. Phew. She was able to use a verified, trusted platform -- Instagram, not the corrupted X -- to well and truly set the record straight. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," Swift said in her post, which attracted around 3.5 million likes its first hour. But what's simple for Swift will be far more difficult for anyone without her public profile. Truth has a far better chance of succeeding when you have hundreds of millions of followers. When Swift was targeted with faked, sexualized images, it highlighted the fact that her experience was one being shared by a growing number of girls and women who, unlike the pop star, did not command the ability to have technology companies step in to stop the material spreading. Likewise, in politics, AI's real disruptive effect will come not from faking the endorsement of the world's most famous woman but from infecting the shared truths of local communities as they try to decide fairly who should become a judge or join the school board. A hollowed out local press and poor digital literacy will see AI falsehoods spread like wildfire. The Harris-Walz team will be riding high on Swift's endorsement, as they should. But if they make it to the White House, they must waste no time in looking back and seeing this moment as another wake-up call on the dangers of this emerging technology. Taylor Swift, remarkable as she is, can only do so much.

Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris, warns of AI dangers in election

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Pop superstar Taylor Swift has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, citing concerns about AI-generated misinformation in the electoral process. Her move could reignite debates around artificial intelligence regulation. Swift voiced her support for the Democratic ticket on Instagram and expressed unease about AI's potential to spread false information during the campaign. She boasts one of the largest social media followings globally. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," Swift wrote. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." The incident Swift referenced involves AI-generated images that appeared to show her endorsing former President Donald Trump, shared across all social media platforms. This follows explicit deepfakes of the singer circulating online months ago, which prompted calls for stricter AI regulation from lawmakers and tech industry leaders. Reigniting AI regulation discussions Swift's endorsement and remarks about AI misinformation underscore growing concerns among public figures and policymakers about the technology's potential to disrupt democratic processes. It also highlights challenges facing tech companies and legislators in balancing innovation with safeguards against misuse. Federal legislation regulating AI remains elusive, but some states have taken action. Tennessee, Swift's home state, recently passed the Ensuring Likeness Image and Voice Security (ELVIS) Act, protecting artists against AI impersonation and deepfakes. In October, the Biden administration issued an executive order outlining the government's policy positions on AI and directing federal agencies to explore the use of generative AI applications. The order also established the AI Safety Institute under the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have agreed to send their unreleased models to the AI Safety Institute for safety evaluations. Last year, the Biden administration appointed Vice President Harris to represent the U.S. at the UK AI Summit. During the presidential debate on September 10, Harris emphasized the need for the U.S. to "win the competition for the 21st century" by leading the world in AI and quantum computing, supported by American-made chips. Meanwhile, Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, has earned praise from tech leaders for his support of open-source AI.

Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris in response to fake AI images

The singer-songwriter said she is being transparent about her voting plans after AI-generated images of her endorsing Trump spread online. Donald Trump's attempt to get the swifties on his side has backfired, as Taylor Swift has publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for the US presidential election. The power of AI was used last month by presidential candidate Trump to confuse people online, as he shared various AI-generated images on Truth Social of people wearing "Swifties for Trump" t-shirts. There was also one supposed image of Swift herself with the caption "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump". In response, Swift stated on her Instagram page that she will be voting for Harris and her VP elect Tim Walz in the 2024 US presidential election. In the post signed "Childless Cat Lady", Swift explained her reasons for supporting Harris and added that "I've done my research, and I've made my choice". Look what you made me do But Swift made it clear that the reason she had shared her political views ahead of the election is in direct response to the AI-generated images shared by Trump. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," Swift said. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." The images Trump shared were originally screenshots posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Guardian reported that the accounts that shared these images have a history of sharing misinformation online. I knew you were trouble The use of AI during elections is a growing concern, raising fears that this technology can be used to spread disinformation, create deepfakes and confuse voters. For example, Elon Musk - now a major supporter of Trump - recently shared a fake campaign video for Harris which used an AI-generated version of her voice. Musk also responded to Swift's endorsement of Harris, in what might be one of his creepiest posts on X to date. Swift has been the victim of AI-generated disinformation before. In January, searches for the singer-songwriter were blocked on X after sexually explicit AI-generated images of her began spreading across the platform. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news. Taylor Swift in 2012. Image: Eva Rinaldi via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Citing Generative AI Concerns, Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris

Pop megastar Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President immediately following last night's Presidential Debate on ABC, citing Donald Trump using AI-generated images to falsely claim that Swift had endorsed the former President. Swift, no stranger to being victimized by generative artificial intelligence technology, including explicit deepfakes and AI-fueled online scams, was clearly riled by Donald Trump posting AI-generated images of "Swifties for Trump" on Truth Social last month. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," Swift wrote in her Instagram post endorsing Harris. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," Swift continued. "I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election." Swift adds that all eligible American voters should do their research, register to vote, and make their choice. Trump responded, saying on the FOX News show Fox & Friends that Swift may "pay a price" for her endorsement in "the marketplace." Swift's worries about AI echo the sentiments of many Americans, as concerns over artificial intelligence technology continue to increase. So far, the two Presidential candidates have employed drastically different approaches toward generative AI, with Trump routinely using it to create content to share on social media, including images that make him more appealing to potential voters and many that attack Harris using misleading photo-realistic images. Vice President Harris, on the other hand, announced the AI Safety Institute last year, arguing that the federal government must evaluate and mitigate the dangers of artificial intelligence and take action to ensure that it is clear when content is human-created or AI-generated. Some critics, including Trump himself, have claimed that Harris has used AI-generated images to inflate rally crowds, although these allegations have been proven false. "President Biden and I believe that all leaders, from government, civil society, and the private sector have a moral, ethical, and societal duty to make sure AI is adopted and advanced in a way that protects the public from potential harm and ensures that everyone is able to enjoy its benefits," Harris said last fall.

AI-Generated Deepfakes Pushed Taylor Swift to Endorse Kamala Harris

Taylor Swift is one of the most deepfaked women in the world, but AI-generated images showing her and her fans endorsing Donald Trump were her last straw. Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president during the presidential debate last night in an Instagram post, citing AI generated images of her that faked an endorsement for Donald Trump as the reason why she felt the need to speak up. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," Swift wrote in a caption of a photo of herself holding Benjamin Button, one of her three cats. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election." Last month, Trump posted images on his social media platform, Truth Social, showing AI-generated images of women wearing "Swifties for Trump" t-shirts and Swift in an Uncle Sam-style outfit, with the text "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump." Trump captioned his post, "I accept!" Since the inception of deepfakes in 2017, Swift has been one of the most deepfaked celebrities in the world. Her likeness being stolen is also what churns public backlash to non-consensual deepfakes: when AI generated images of her in hardcore sexual scenarios went viral on Twitter last year, Microsoft's CEO went on NBC News to denounce the use of his company's products to make them, and the White House said it was "alarmed" by them. The incident has its own Wikipedia page. But Swift herself didn't speak about those deepfakes, and hasn't spoken publicly about non-consensual sexually explicit AI images of herself in the eight years since people have been making them all over the internet. But the fake endorsements of Trump -- who she's expressed regret for not denouncing sooner in the 2016 election -- were what pushed her to publicly comment on this misuse of her likeness. Swift's influence has real weight to throw behind a candidate: Last year, she urged followers on Instagram to register to vote for National Voter Registration Day, writing, "Are you registered to vote yet? I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently. I've heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!" Vote.org reported more than 35,000 new registrations following her post, with a 115 percent increase in 18 year old registrants since 2022. And this is the second time she's used a Harris debate to mark her endorsement: In 2020, she told V Magazine in a story that came out on the night of the vice presidential debate that she was voting for Joe Biden for president (yes, with the infamous Biden/Harris cookies photo). After almost a decade of alarms from the media and AI detection companies about the political disinformation dangers of deepfakes and their hypothetical, yet-unrealized power to sway elections, it's a fascinating twist that this is the way AI disinformation could actually be responsible for swaying an election: not by fooling voters into believing faked images are real, but by causing such an intense backlash that one of the most powerful people in entertainment is forced to set the record straight. Tuesday, the Twitter account for the House Judiciary Committee Republicans tweeted two different AI-generated images about the false idea that Haitian immigrants are eating people's pets in Ohio, currently the most viral piece of election-related disinformation. In Congress, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell pulled up these photos and questioned Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican who runs the committee. "What in the hell is this? The Chairman tweets 'Protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!' because he goes down some crazy rabbit hole, completely debunked, that aliens are eating our pets?" Swalwell said, putting his head in his hands. "My God. Are you OK, Mr. Chairman?... Now, when we have victims coming here, you're tweeting this nonsense. I don't know why you would do this, I hope you're OK. I don't know if the aliens who are eating your ducks are in the room with us right now?" A few hours later, Trump repeated this debunked narrative on stage during the debate. This lie, and not the countless AI-generated smears of Harris or any AI endorsements of Trump's candidacy, is what conservative media and other politicians are running with this week to try to bring voters to their side.

Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris in response to fake AI Trump endorsement

Taylor Swift said on Tuesday that she plans to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November's presidential election -- and that AI-generated images circulating of herself pushed her in part to make her support public. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," Swift wrote in an Instagram post. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." Her post references an incident in late August, in which Trump shared a collection of images to Truth Social intended to show support for his presidential campaign. Some of the photos depict "Swifties for Trump," and another obviously AI-generated image shows Swift herself in an Uncle Sam-type image with text reading, "Taylor wants YOU to vote for Donald Trump." The former president captioned the post, "I accept!" This wasn't the first time AI images of Swift were circulated on social media. Earlier this year, nonconsensual sexualized images of her made using AI were shared on X. That incident prompted the White House to call for legislation to "deal" with the issue. In her endorsement post, Swift also mentioned LGBTQ rights, reproductive care, and IVF as specific issues she cares about. She also directed fans to her Instagram story, where she added a link to register to vote.

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, Cites 'Swifties for Trump' AI Deepfakes - Decrypt

Singer Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in the U.S. Presidential election race, citing AI-generated deepfake images of her shared by Donald Trump as being behind her decision. In a post on Instagram, Swift wrote that, "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," adding that the incident, "really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter," Swift said, adding that, "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," and emphasizing that she would be "casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election." Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shared a number of deepfaked images on his Truth Social account, including one depicting Taylor Swift mimicking the pose from a Second World War "Uncle Sam" poster, with the text "Taylor Wants You to Vote for Donald Trump." Other deepfaked images depicted young women wearing "Swifties for Trump" t-shirts, claiming that the singer's fans were "turning to Trump" after her concerts in Vienna were cancelled following a terrorist threat, which the post attributed to ISIS. In a subsequent interview, Trump acknowledged that he knew the Taylor Swift images weren't real, stating that, "I don't know anything about them other than somebody else generated them," and adding that, "I didn't generate them; somebody came out, they said, 'Oh, look at this.' These were all made up by other people." Trump added that AI was "dangerous," and that deepfakes are "happening with me, too." Trump has shared several AI-generated images during his campaign, including one of Kamala Harris addressing a Soviet rally. Deepfakes are images, video or audio content created using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to depict real individuals in false situations. World leaders, policymakers, and law enforcement have expressed concern over their proliferation, citing their use in scams, political misinformation and non-consensual pornography.

Taylor Swift called out Donald Trump's AI-generated images of her support for him

Taylor Swift finally announced which candidate she's voting for in the upcoming U.S. presidential election -- and didn't let the other get away with using artificial intelligence to fake her support. The singer posted her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris on Instagram (META) minutes after Harris's first debate with former President Donald Trump. Swift, who previously endorsed Harris and President Joe Biden in 2020, wrote that she's voting for the vice president "because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them." But while Swift explained her reasoning and the importance of voting, the pop star said her public support was spurred by misinformation from the opposing camp. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," Swift wrote. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." In August, Trump posted seemingly AI-generated images of women wearing "Swifties for Trump" t-shirts at his rallies, and an AI-generated image of the singer dressed as Uncle Sam to his Truth Social account. The AI-generated image of Swift included the words, "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump." Trump wrote, "I accept!," on the post. After the images circulated, Swift said she came "to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." Swift also said she was "so heartened and impressed" by Harris's vice presidential pick, Tim Walz, "who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades." Swift signed her post with, "Childless Cat Lady," possibly referencing Trump running mate JD Vance, who previously said the U.S. is being run by groups including, "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too." Around 20 U.S. states have legislation to regulate deepfakes in elections, which it defines as "AI-generated images, audio, or video depicting a candidate saying or doing things they never did" in an effort to misinform voters or harm a candidate's reputation. Meanwhile, AI companies have updated their tools to limit election-related queries and curb misinformation, including Google (GOOGL), which announced in August it added election-related restrictions to its Search AI Overviews feature.

Taylor Swift addresses a fake image of her shared by Trump: 'It really conjured up my fears around AI'

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," she said in a post made minutes after the end of the debate between the vice president and former President Trump. Swift was likely referring to a Truth Social post made by Trump last month. The former president posted "I accept!" alongside four sets of images that mostly showed women in "Swifties for Trump" T-shirts. The images also included an Uncle Sam-inspired depiction of Swift with the words, "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump." One set of images came from a post labeled "satire," and several of the images displayed typical AI markers. However, two of the images Trump shared appeared to be real, showing actual Trump supporter Jenna Piwowarczyk. The images provoked the ire of some Swifties, who encouraged the singer to sue the former president for the unauthorized use of her likeness. Legal experts and celebrity lawyers previously told Business Insider that Swift could sue over the image, including on federal grounds of trademark infringement and false advertising, but they raised doubts about how successful the potential case would be. The former president later tried to distance himself from the images. On Fox Business' Evening Edit last month, when asked about a potential lawsuit from Swift, Trump said he didn't know "anything about" the images, which he claimed had been made up by other people. Trump said that he "didn't generate" the images and called AI "very dangerous." Experts have long feared the widespread use of AI could cause havoc during democratic elections. Deepfakes, AI-generated text, and hyper-targeted ads can blur the line between fact and fiction, making it harder for voters to discern what is credible information. While Swift has been vocal on US political issues in the past, she had yet to endorse either 2024 ticket when Trump shared the dubious images. She previously supported the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020 and accused Trump of "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism." Many fans have been eagerly waiting for Swift to weigh in on the 2024 election. One grassroots group dubbed Swifties For Kamala, which formed to mobilize support for the Democratic ticket, has amassed more than 60,000 followers on X. The endorsement will also be a welcome surprise for many Democrats. The singer has a US adult fan base estimated to be nearly as large as the 2020 presidential vote count, giving her a unique cultural sway. And just an hour after the Harris-Walz campaign received Taylor Swift's endorsement, it started selling friendship bracelets inspired by the singer. Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Donald Trump's deepfaked Taylor Swift endorsement stokes fear in the singer and highlights lack of clear election rules

In her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Taylor Swift sounded the alarm about using artificial intelligence to spread misinformation in political campaigns. Last month, Donald Trump posted images on social media of the pop star dressed as Uncle Sam in patriotic red, white, and blue garb, meme-ified to read "Taylor Swift Wants You to Vote for Donald Trump." He also shared separate images showing crowds of spray-tanned blondes wearing "Swifties for Trump" t-shirts. The episode was just the latest example of how political campaigns could use AI to mislead voters -- whether by making it seem like a candidate has a celebrity's support or to impersonate an opposing candidate. But even as concerns mount about how sophisticated and easy-to-use deepfake technology is looming over the presidential election, there are no federal rules yet that specifically dictate how AI can or can't be used by campaigns. Just yesterday, the Federal Elections Commission said that it wouldn't vote on a proposed rule about AI, including deepfakes, ahead of this year's election. Chairman Sean Cooksey wrote in a memo that deceptive campaign ads are always a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, regardless of whether AI or another technology was used to make them. In the meantime, the Federal Communications Commission is looking to step in with requirements that the use of AI be disclosed in political ads. However, Lisa Gilbert, co-president of non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, notes that the telecommunications regulator only oversees broadcast and telephone campaign communications. That means the FCC rules wouldn't apply to social media posts like the one Trump shared. Gilbert described Public Citizen's push for guardrails around AI in elections as "basically throwing everything at the wall to see where things will stick," with the ultimate goal being meaningful federal legislation. Although there are no federal rules governing how campaigns can use AI, more than 20 states already have election-related deepfake laws enacted or pending. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for example, indicated in June his support for legislation that would outlaw manipulated political ads, in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk reposting an altered video of Kamala Harris on social media. And while it's unclear how many people were fooled by Trump's Taylor Swift deepfake, the U.S. Government Services Administration reports that Swift's Instagram post on Tuesday endorsing Harris for president funneled more than 330,000 people to register to vote. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," Swift wrote in her Instagram post about the deepfake Trump shared. While the singer isn't new to weighing in on politics and getting out the vote, she made it clear that she found the year of the AI election particularly spooky after Trump manipulated her image. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter," Swift continued. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." The star went on to endorse Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, referring to their support for causes like LGBTQ+ rights and access to reproductive care and abortion. Someone like Swift may be able to quickly upend speculation about her political leanings by posting to hundreds of millions of fans, but the average American doesn't have the same control over their image, Gilbert notes. "Unfortunately, for most, there isn't that kind of recourse," she said. That makes deepfakes an even more harmful tool when they're used to distort a politician running in a local election, or the average teenager posting on social media.

Taylor Swift cites AI deepfakes in endorsement for Kamala Harris

Taylor Swift on AI: "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." On Tuesday night, Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for US President on Instagram, citing concerns over AI-generated deepfakes as a key motivator. The artist's warning aligns with current trends in technology, especially in an era where AI synthesis models can easily create convincing fake images and videos. Further Reading"Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," she wrote in her Instagram post. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." In August 2024, former President Donald Trump posted AI-generated images on Truth Social falsely suggesting Taylor Swift endorsed him, including a manipulated photo depicting Swift as Uncle Sam with text promoting Trump. The incident sparked Swift's fears about the spread of misinformation through AI. This isn't the first time Taylor Swift and generative AI have appeared together in the news. In February, we reported that a flood of explicit AI-generated images of Swift originated from a 4chan message board where users took part in daily challenges to bypass AI image generator filters. Listing image by Ronald Woan/CC BY-SA 2.0

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, Says AI Has Her Fearing the 'Dangers of Spreading Misinformation'

Elon Musk responded to the news on X, calling Swift out directly, though she has not publicly responded to the billionaire. Taylor Swift is not exactly "Fearless" when it comes to AI. The superstar singer-songwriter posted on Instagram after Tuesday night's presidential debate endorsing Kamala Harris for President and calling out deepfakes and misinformation online. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," the post read. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," she added. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election." Related: Taylor Swift Paused Her Show Over the Weekend Due to Safety Concerns. What She Said Next Is a Powerful Lesson in Leadership. She signed the post, "Childless Cat Lady," a direct dig to Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, and used a photo from her iconic TIME magazine 2023 Person of the Year feature, where she wore her cat around her neck. Elon Musk, meanwhile, responded to the news on X, writing, "Fine Taylor ... you win ... I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life." It's not the first time Musk has tried to engage with Swift -- he complimented her last album -- but the superstar has not publicly responded. The Harris-Walz campaign was reportedly surprised by the timing of the announcement, per NBC News, but of course, were ready to receive it. Within minutes, the campaign began selling friendship bracelets, a major part of Taylor Swift's fandom.

AI-Generated 'Swifties for Trump' Photos Prompt Taylor Swift to Endorse Harris

(Credit: Gareth Cattermole/TAS24 / Contributor / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images) Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president after Tuesday's debate, partly to debunk AI-generated images suggesting she supported Donald Trump. "Recently, I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," Swift wrote in an Instagram post. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter." Swift is referring to a series of photos Trump amplified in August on his Truth Social platform. The images, originally posted by conservative X accounts, claimed to show a burgeoning "Swifties for Trump" movement. One photo depicted Swift in a pointing, Uncle Sam-style pose with the caption, "Taylor Swift wants you to vote for Donald Trump." "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," Swift wrote on Tuesday. Her post adds a list of reasons why she is voting for Harris. She's a "steady-handed, gifted leader" who "fights for the right causes," including LGBTQ+ rights and access to abortion and IVF treatment, according to Swift, who also expressed support for Tim Walz as the VP pick. But she adds that "the choice is yours to make" and encouraged everyone to make sure they're registered to vote. Swift signs the post "Childless Cat Lady," referring to comments by Trump's VP pick, Sen. JD Vance. Pets took center stage in last night's debate after Trump falsely claimed immigrants are eating them in Springfield, Ohio, something Vance also said during a recent Senate hearing. Springfield officials told ABC News that's not true, but AI-generated images of Trump saving pets from immigrants flooded social media. Even the official GOP House Judiciary Committee posted one. AI-generated images of presidential candidates has been an ongoing issue this election cycle, with each platform handling it differently. Midjourney banned creation of political figures ahead of the election. Grok, the chatbot on X, freely generates outrageous depictions of the candidates. Grok also made headlines for serving up inaccurate election information. It later agreed to add an alert on voting-related questions that directs people to Vote.gov. ChatGPT redirects to CanIVote.org. Google Gemini redirects to a Google search after saying, "I can't help with responses on elections and political figures right now." X owner and Trump supporter Elon Musk, meanwhile, responded to Swift's endorsement by pledging to "give you a child and guard your cats with my life." He has 12 children with three different women.

All AI has done this election is convince Taylor Swift to endorse Harris

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. In fact, AI's biggest impact this year may have been simply convincing Taylor Swift to endorse Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. In an Instagram post announcing her support of Harris on Tuesday, the megastar said her endorsement was influenced in part by an AI image of her that Trump posted showing the pop megastar in a ridiculous oversized American flag hat with the phrase "Taylor Wants You To Vote For Donald Trump." "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," Swift wrote in her post. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." And the AI-wary Swift is in good company -- experts and the media have sounded the alarm that AI could fuel a "tech-enabled Armageddon," that we've only seen the "tip of the iceberg," and that "deepfakes threaten to upend global elections." But, while there have been some attempts to use AI to influence voters -- like the phony Joe Biden robocall in New Hampshire, or a deepfaked Kamala Harris campaign video -- they don't really seem to be fooling anyone. Many AI creations have come in the form of fairly obvious memes and satiric videos shared on social media, and fact-checkers -- including ones on-platform like X's Community Notes -- have quickly shot down any AI content that is remotely convincing. Even the more sinister attempts, in which foreign actors use AI to spread disinformation, may be a bit over-exaggerated. Meta, for example, wrote in its most recent Adversarial Threat Report that while Russian, Chinese, and Iranian disinformation campaigns have tapped into AI, their "GenAI-powered tactics" have provided "only incremental productivity and content-generation gains." And Microsoft, in its most recent Threat Intelligence Report from August, also threw water on the idea that AI has made foreign influence campaigns more effective. Microsoft writes that in identifying Russian and Chinese influence operations, it found that both "have employed generative AI -- but with limited to no impact," adding that another Russian operation, which it first reported in April, has "repeatedly utilized generative AI in its campaigns to little effect." "In total," Microsoft continues in its report, "We've seen nearly all actors seek to incorporate AI content in their operations, but more recently many actors have pivoted back to techniques that have proven effective in the past -- simple digital manipulations, mischaracterization of content, and use of trusted labels or logos atop false information." And it's not just the US; recent elections around the world haven't been substantially impacted by AI. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which analyzed instances of AI-generated disinformation around the UK's July election, found in a recent report that voters never faced the feared "tsunami of AI fakes targeting political candidates." "The UK saw only a handful of examples of such content going viral during the campaign period," ASPI's researcher Sam Stockwell explained. But, he added that, "While there's no evidence these examples swayed any large number of votes," there were "spikes in online harassment against the people targeted by the fakes" as well as "confusion among audiences over whether the content was authentic." In a study published in May, the UK's Alan Turing Institute found that out of 112 national elections taking place or about to take place since the start of 2023, only 19 of them showed AI interference. "Existing examples of AI misuse in elections are scarce, and often amplified through the mainstream media," the paper's authors wrote. "This risks amplifying public anxieties and inflating the perceived threat of AI to electoral processes." But, while the researchers found that the "current impact of AI on specific election results is limited," the threats do "show signs of damaging the broader democratic system."

Taylor Swift Finally Addressed Those Images Of Her 'Endorsing' Trump

The former president had shared AI-generated images of the pop star "endorsing" him, which she had not addressed until now. Taylor Swift addressed the AI generated images of her "endorsing" Donald Trump that had been circulating online in recent weeks while actually endorsing Kamala Harris for president. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she said Tuesday in her endorsement post on Instagram. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," she said, adding that she will be voting for Harris and Tim Walz in November. Last month, the former president shared screenshots on Truth Social from social media accounts of women wearing "Swifties for Trump" T-shirts, which appeared to be AI-generated. Another AI photo depicted Swift dressed as Uncle Sam with text that read, "Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for Donald Trump." "I accept!" Trump wrote on Truth Social in his post with screenshots of the "endorsements."

Taylor Swift Slams Republican Use of AI to Deepfake Her Into Endorsing Trump

"It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." In her statement endorsing Kamala Harris for president, Taylor Swift took aim at the AI deepfakes used to falsely manipulate her image to make it seem like she was supporting rival contender Donald Trump. Using a photo posed with her cat Benjamin Button as a jab at Trump's running mate JD Vance's odious remarks about childless women, the 34-year-old Pennsylvanian said in her Instagram endorsement post that she had become aware that her AI-faked likeness had been used by the GOP candidate. "Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," the "Anti-Hero" singer wrote. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." Last month, the artist's rabid fans were made furious after the former president took to his failing social network, Truth Social, to "accept" a fake endorsement from Swift and her stans that had been made using AI. "We do not represent every Swiftie, but I think there is a reason we don't need AI to show our support for Kamala," Swifties4Harris cofounder Irene Kim told Wired of the fake endorsement. Despite baking cookies for Joe Biden's campaign in 2020, Swift hadn't yet come out in support of either candidate in this year's race -- and apparently, the AI fakery using her image helped push her endorsement over the edge. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter," the billionaire singer wrote. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." Swift went on to say that was "so heartened and impressed" by Harris' choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate because of his longstanding support for LGBTQ+ rights, in vitro fertilization, and a "woman's right to her own body." Though she did not explicitly mention it, Swift was also the victim of nonconsensual deepfaked nudes earlier this year -- a treatment so egregious that it led to X-formerly-Twitter briefly banning all searches of the artist's name. And speaking of Twitter and reproductive rights, the site's owner Elon Musk responded to Swift's endorsement of Harris in perhaps the most disgusting way possible: by saying that he would "give" her a child and "protect" her cats with his life, a likely xenophobic dogwhistle that seems very much to prove the pop star's entire point.

Taylor Swift calls out Donald Trump's AI photos, writes why I am telling who I will vote for | - Times of India

The 12-time Grammy winner and pop icon Taylor Swift called out former President Donald Trump for posting AI-generated fake images of her, before announcing her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Tuesday. In a lengthy Instagram post following the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump, Swift addressed Trump's recent social media activity, which included AI-created images falsely depicting her as a Trump supporter."Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site," Swift wrote. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." Taylor said Trump's use of fake AI images prompted her to be transparent about her actual voting plans. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," she stated. In the same post, Swift announced she would be voting for Harris, praising her as a "steady-handed, gifted leader" who fights for causes Swift believes in. The singer urged her followers to research candidates and register to vote. Trump had posted the AI-generated images on his Truth Social platform in August, with a caption reading "I accept!" The fake images showed Swift wearing "MAGA" gear and portrayed her fans as Trump supporters. Trump's campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung claimed at the time that "Swifties for Trump is a massive movement that grows bigger every single day." In response to Swift's endorsement of Harris, Trump posted on Truth Social: "There's no way she actually supports Crooked Kamala. The radical left must have gotten to her. Sad!" Tech billionaire and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk responded to Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris with a provocative post on his platform. Referencing Swift's sign-off as "Childless Cat Lady" - a term used by Trump's running mate JD Vance to mock women without children - Musk wrote: "Fine Taylor ... you win ... I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life." The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris.

In an Instagram post shared shortly after the first presidential debate between Harris and Donald Trump, the star ended the will-she-won't-she speculation and threw her support behind the Harris/Walz ticket. Interestingly, she cited recent AI-generated fake images of herself: Recently I was made aware that AI of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.

Taylor Swift Officially Breaks Her Silence on Donald Trump's False AI Endorsement Following Presidential Debate

Taylor Swift has finally directly addressed Donald Trump's false endorsement, shutting down the AI imagery he recently posted of the singer and her fans suggesting that she would be voting for him, and encouraging her followers to do their own research before formally endorsing Kamala Harris for president. The "Only the Young" singer took to Instagram minutes after the end of Tuesday night's presidential debate between the former commander-in-chief and the current vice president, playing into Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance's viral "childless cat lady" criticism with a photo from her most recent TIME magazine cover featuring her cat Benji. "Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight," she began alongside the snapshot. "If you haven't already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country." She then directly addressed the AI imagery posted by Trump on social media, which she admitted "really conjured up [her] fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation." To "combat" that misinformation, she shared her "truth," revealing her plans to vote for Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, this November. "I've done my research, and I've made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make," she concluded, before encouraging everyone reading to make sure they were registered to vote. Her comments follow an indirect statement made after the cancellation of her Vienna Eras Tour concerts, which some fans thought might also be addressing the AI scandal as she asserted, "I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows. In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it's right to." It also follows a wave of backlash in the Swiftie fandom after her friend Brittany Mahomes seemingly endorsed Trump for president, with fans expressing how "disappointed" they were to see the pair hugging over the weekend while Swift remained mum about the situation. Swift also endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, criticizing Trump on several occasions. In May of 2020, she tweeted, "After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November." "Donald Trump's ineffective leadership gravely worsened the crisis that we are in and he is now taking advantage of it to subvert and destroy our right to vote and vote safely. Request a ballot early. Vote early," she wrote on Aug. 15, 2020. Next: Fans Declare Taylor Swift Is 'Dressing for Revenge' During NYC Date With Travis Kelce

Taylor Swift and the Power of the AI Backlash

Swift, more than nearly anyone else on the planet, has personal reasons to worry about impersonation and misuse of her likeness through AI. She's incredibly famous, and her words carry weight for lots of people. As such, when it comes to AI, her experience has been both futuristic and dystopian. Like many celebrities - but especially women -- she already lives in a vision of AI hell, where the voices, faces, and bodies of famous people are digitally cloned and used for scams, hoaxes, and porn. (Last year, explicit and abusive deepfakes of Taylor Swift were widely shared on X, which took the better part of a week to slow their spread.) Her endorsement can be understood as an attempt to reclaim and assert her identity -- as well as her massively valuable brand -- in the context of a new form of targeted identity theft. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," she writes. (Do not read Elon Musk's response.) Swift, more than nearly anyone else on the planet, has personal reasons to worry about impersonation and misuse of her likeness through AI. She's incredibly famous, and her words carry weight for lots of people. As such, when it comes to AI, her experience has been both futuristic and dystopian. Like many celebrities - but especially women -- she already lives in a vision of AI hell, where the voices, faces, and bodies of famous people are digitally cloned and used for scams, hoaxes, and porn. (Last year, explicit and abusive deepfakes of Taylor Swift were widely shared on X, which took the better part of a week to slow their spread.) Her endorsement can be understood as an attempt to reclaim and assert her identity -- as well as her massively valuable brand -- in the context of a new form of targeted identity theft. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth," she writes. (Do not read Elon Musk's response.) The thing about the false endorsement to which she's responding, though, is that it probably didn't need to be refuted. On Truth Social, Donald Trump shared a collage of trollish posts and AI-generated images: two of them had a photo of the same woman; one still had a visible "satire" tag; and another, while clearly generated by AI, was rendered in the style of an illustration. It's ridiculous. But it's ridiculous in a particular way that's become miserably familiar in recent years. It's not quite a joke -- more of a taunt -- and it's certainly not an argument, or presented or understood as evidence. It's a back-filled fantasy for partisans who are willing to believe anything. Also, and perhaps mostly, it's a tool of mockery for trolls, including the former President himself, who post MAGA AI nonsense in the way he says and posts lots of obviously untrue things: to say, basically, What are you gonna do about it? I don't want to argue that nobody could possibly fall for something like this, and I'm sure there are at least a few people in the world who are walking around with the mistaken impression that Taylor Swift released a recruiting poster for the Trump-Vance campaign (I'm nearly as sure that these people have long known exactly who they were voting for). I also don't want to argue that a correction-via-endorsement like this is mistaken or unnecessary: While these AI-generated images are better understood as implausible tossed-off lies than cunning deepfakes -- more akin to Donald Trump saying "Taylor Swift fans, the beautiful Swifties, they come up to me all the time..." at a rally than to a disinformation operation -- they're still being used, in bad faith, to tell a story that isn't true (and one that had the ultimate effect of raising the salience of a musician's political endorsement that was almost inevitably going the other way). Consider the sort of fake celebrity porn that has proliferated online over the last decade: In many cases, these images aren't creating the impression that public figures have had sex on camera, but are rather stealing their likenesses to create and distribute abusive, non-consensual fantasies. This is no less severe of a problem than deepfakes as mis-or-disinformation, but is a problem of a slightly different kind. As AI tools become more capable, and get used against more and more people, this distinction could disappear, and there are plenty of contexts in which deepfakes and voice cloning are already used for straightforward deception. For now, though, when it comes to bullshit generated by and about public figures, AI is less effective for tricking people than it is for humiliation, abuse, mockery, and fantastical wish fulfillment. It's good for telling the sorts of lies, now in the form of images and videos, that are stubbornly immune to correction because nobody thought they were strictly true in the first place. Swift's post is typical of the popular AI backlash in that it's both anticipatory -- this stuff sure seems like it could go catastrophically wrong someday! -- and reacting to something less severe that's already happening -- hey, this shit sucks, I wish it would stop! It's a reasonable response to a half-baked technology that isn't yet deceiving (or otherwise reshaping) the world at scale but in the meantime seems awfully well suited to use by liars and frauds. Her experience is aligned with that of the general public, for whom theories of mass automation by AI are still mostly abstract. For now they just see the internet filling to the brim with AI slop. There are echoes here of the debate over disinformation in the 2020 and especially 2016 elections, when the sheer visibility of galling nonsense on social media, combined with evidence that foreign governments were helping to distribute some of it, created the impression, or at least raised the possibility, that "fake news" could be swinging voters. It was an ill-defined problem that was distressing in the what-if-there's-no-shared-reality sense but also sort of comforting, in that it shrunk the more intractable problems of "lying" and "people believing whatever they want" into tech-product-sized optimization and moderation issues. (Evidence that Facebook helped elect Trump is thin, but for liberals, Facebook's obvious synergies with MAGA movement, and the dissemination of lots of literally unbelievable stuff, were certainly an indictment of the product and perhaps social media as a whole.) Trump's hastily re-posted fake Swifties, and Swift's nuclear response, offer a glimpse of how, this time around, a new set of tools for generating and distributing bullshit might actually interact with popular politics: first as farce, then as brutal backlash.