Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Last week, AI-generated images which depicted superstar Taylor Swift in sexually suggestive and explicit positions were spread around the internet, sparking horror and condemnation—and experts say it’s a wake-up call showing we need real regulation of AI now.
Mohit Rajhans, Think Start media and tech consultant, told CTV News Channel on Sunday that “we’ve turned into the wild west online,” when it comes to generating and spreading AI content.
"The train has left the station, artificial general intelligence is here, and it's going to be up to us now to figure out how we're going to regulate it.”
It reportedly took 17 hours for the fake images being circulated on X to be taken down.
The terms “Taylor Swift,” “Taylor Swift AI,” and “Taylor AI” currently bring up error reports if a user attempts to search them on X. The company has said this is a temporary measure as they evaluate safety on the platform.
But the deepfaked pornographic images of the singer were viewed tens of millions of times before social media sites took action. Deepfakes are AI-generated images and videos of false situations featuring real people. The big danger is that they are significantly more realistic than a photoshopped image.
“There's a lot of potential harassment and misinformation that gets spread if this technology is not regulated,” Rajhans said.
The targeting of Swift is part of a disturbing trend of AI being used to generate pornographic images of people without their consent, a practice known as “revenge porn” which is predominantly used against women and girls.
While AI has been misused for years, Rajhans said there’s definitely a “Taylor effect” in making people sit up and pay attention to the problem.
"What's happened is…because of the use of Taylor Swift's image to do everything from sell products that she's not affiliated with to doctor her (image) into various sexual acts, more people have become aware of how rampant this technology is,” he said.
Even the White House is paying attention, commenting Friday that action needs to be taken.
In a statement Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the spreading of fake nudes of Swift was “alarming” and that legislative action was being considered to better address these situations in the future.
“There should be legislation, obviously, to deal with this issue,” she said, without specifying which specific legislation they are supporting.
SAG-AFTRA, the union which represents thousands of actors and performers, said in a statement Saturday that they support proposed legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle last year, called the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act.
“The development and dissemination of fake images — especially those of a lewd nature — without someone’s consent must be made illegal,” the union said in the statement.
In the White House briefing, Jean-Pierre added that social media platforms “have an important role to play in enforcing their own rules” in order to prevent the spreading of “non-consensual intimate imagery of real people.”
Rajhans said Sunday that it’s clear social media companies need to step up in dealing with deepfakes.
“We need to hold social media companies accountable," he said. “There has to be some heavy fines associated with some of these social media companies. They’ve made a lot of money off of people using social media.”
He pointed out that if people upload a song that doesn't belong to them, there are ways it can get flagged on social media sites.
"So why are they not using this technology right now in an effort to moderate social media so that deepfakes can't penetrate?" he said.
A 2023 report on deepfakes found that 98 per cent of all deepfake videos online were pornographic in nature—and 99 per cent of the individuals targeted by deepfake pornography were women. South Korean singers and actresses were disproportionately targeted, constituting 53 per cent of individuals targeted in deepfake pornography.
The report highlighted that technology exists now that allows users to make a 60-second deepfake pornographic video for free and in less than half an hour.
The sheer speed of progress occurring in the AI world is working against us in terms of managing the repercussions of this technology, Rajhans said.
"It's getting so pedestrian level that you and I can just make memes and share them and no one can know the difference between (if) it's actual fact or it's something that's been recreated,” he said.
"This is not just about Taylor Swift. This is about harassment, this is about sharing fake news, this is about a whole culture that needs to be educated about how this technology is being used.”
It’s unknown how long it could take to see Canadian legislation curtailing deepfakes.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service called deepfakes a “threat to a Canadian future” in a 2023 report which concluded that “collaboration amongst partner governments, allies, academics, and industry experts is essential to both maintaining the integrity of globally distributed information and addressing the malicious application of evolving AI.”
Although a proposed regulatory framework for AI systems in Canada is currently being examined in the House of Commons, called the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, it wouldn’t take effect this year. If the bill gains royal assent, a consultation process will start to clarify AIDA, with the framework coming into effect no sooner than 2025.
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
The United Nations food agency warned Sudan's warring parties Friday that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don't allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.