Following the outcry from fans over Taylor Swift’s deepfake photos, a lawyer has spoken on the legal implications of the situation.
The 34-year-old singer’s graphic AI-generated images of Kansas City Chiefs gear went popular on X (previously known as Twitter) and received over 47 million views, prompting the opinion.
A legal expert named James O’Connell revealed, in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, that even if the pictures are “offensive,” they are not “illegal.”
“Most countries don’t have laws to regulate deepfake, e.g., there are currently no federal laws against the sharing or creation of deepfake images,” he said, referring to the novelty of the phenomena.
James went on: “Legally, whether or not deepfaking was produced by AI is a red herring if the applicable jurisdiction considers deepfaking to be an illegal crime. AI is merely software and has no legal standing; it cannot be sued or put in jail like a person.”
The legal opinion was provided after Daily Mail was informed by a source that Taylor may file a lawsuit against the owner of these photos.
One thing is certain, though: these phony AI-generated photos are abusive, disrespectful, exploitative, and were created without Taylor’s knowledge or approval, the source said. “Whether or not legal action will be taken is being decided.”
