Meta oversight board reviews AI-generated celebrity deepfakes

Meta’a action on Deepfakes: Meta Platforms' Oversight Board is currently examining the company's response to the circulation of two sexually explicit AI-generated images featuring female celebrities on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. This independent board, financed by Meta but operating autonomously, announced its intention to evaluate Meta's policies and enforcement measures regarding pornographic deepfakes created through artificial intelligence.

In a blog post, the board highlighted that its commitment to assessing the efficacy of Meta's approach using these two incidents as examples. To safeguard against further harm, the board refrained from identifying the famous individuals depicted in the images.

Advancements in AI technology have blurred the line between fabricated and authentic content, leading to a surge in sexually explicit deepfakes primarily targeting women and girls. Earlier this year, Elon Musk's social media platform X faced challenges in managing the dissemination of fake explicit images of US pop star Taylor Swift, prompting temporary restrictions on image searches.

Amid growing concerns, some industry leaders advocate for legislative measures to criminalise the creation of harmful deepfakes and mandate that tech companies prevent their platforms from facilitating such misuse.

According to the Oversight Board, one case involves an AI-generated nude image resembling a prominent figure from India, posted on Instagram by an account dedicated to sharing AI-generated images of Indian women. The other image, found in a Facebook group for sharing AI creations, depicted a nude woman resembling an American public figure being groped by a man.

Meta initially removed the image featuring the American woman for violating its policy against bullying and harassment, citing derogatory sexualised content. However, it initially allowed the image of the Indian woman to remain on the platform, reversing its decision only after the board flagged it for review.

In response, Meta acknowledged these cases and committed to implementing the decisions made by the Oversight Board.

(With Reuters inputs)