A pathological deepfake trend in which real child murder victims are reproduced by AI

Lifestyle

To Alex Mitchell

May 31, 2023 | 7:33 PM

TikToker has started a disturbing new trend of using generative artificial intelligence to portray gruesome murders and other heinous real crimes committed against children.

The resulting video clips (modified deepfakes to create new images instead of altering existing ones) show young children, sometimes with bruises, in computer-generated voice. We see him talking about a real-life experience that’s horrifying.

Notable murders told in first person by CGI children include the case of 6-year-old Elisa Izquierdo, who was murdered by her mother.

Another video tells the story of Carl Newton Mahan, a 6-year-old Kentucky boy who shot and killed an 8-year-old in 1929.

Some videos have been viewed about 3 million times.

Many of the clips claim AI is being used in place of real photos as a way to “respect the family” of the deceased. In some cases, the names are also slightly changed.

Rolling Stone reported that reenactments of the deaths of celebrities, including Presidents John F. Kennedy and George Floyd, have also circulated on social media platforms. Those videos have now been removed.

One of the accounts known for posting these videos, @truestorynow, with nearly 50,000 followers, has been banned from TikTok for violating community guidelines, according to Rolling Stone.

“They are very strange and creepy,” Paul Bleakley, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, told the magazine.

“It seems designed to provoke a strong emotional response as it is the surest way to get clicks and likes. increase.”

Not only did the act upset many viewers, Bleakley warned, “This has the potential to re-victimize those who were previously victimized.”

“Imagine being a parent or relative to the children featured in these AI videos,” he said, adding that the legal options for fighting back against the videos are “very cumbersome and vague.” It’s a gray area,” he added.

“If you go online, you’ll see AI images with this weird shrill voice. [based on] It talks about your deceased child and what happened to them in great detail. ”