Labour is considering proposals to tackle AI deepfakes, including a ban on so-called nudification tools, used to generate nonconsensual pornography, and signing up to a cross-party pledge not to tolerate deepfakes that constitute electoral misinformation, the Guardian can reveal.
The policy paper, produced by the centre-left Labour Together thinktank, proposes a legal ban on dedicated nudification tools that allow users to generate explicit content by uploading images of real people.
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The paper comes after the revelation that Twitter, now known as X, refused to remove deepfake audio of Keir Starmer in October last year, despite policies against such misinformation. The AI-generated clip, which went viral at the time and purported to record the Labour leader berating his staff, was rapidly removed from other social networks but, according to a report from Bloomberg, Twitter demurred, citing a caveat that allowed it to decline to take action if it was “unable to reliably determine if media have been altered or fabricated”.
Peter Kyle, the shadow science, innovation and technology secretary, said the party was considering the proposals. “The capacity for deepfakes to harm individuals, undermine elections, and increase fraud has been clear for some time. The recent surge in nudification tools is deeply concerning.
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The policy paper also calls for all major parties to voluntarily commit to not using deepfake technology, or spread misinformation for campaigning purposes. It recommends Labour sign up to a cross-party pledge “not to create, disseminate or tolerate misleading information”, and urgently calls for an exception to the ban on media coverage of a general election on polling day to allow for mainstream media to rebut fraudulent misinformation that could be going viral as people head to the polls.
I hope they also ban the word “nudification”.
“The capacity for deepfakes
Misuse of the term
to harm individuals
I take a picture of your face and paste it on John Cena’s body. Have I harmed anyone? (…except maybe my own mental health)
undermine elections,
One big help on the elections front would be for politicians to make it blatantly obvious what they stand for. That way it will be clear when somebody puts words in their mouth that it’s fake.
More seriously, video hasn’t been a reliable source for a long time. I mean most people think Tom Cruise flew a real F14 Tomcat in the last TopGun film. Trouble is the F14 is long grounded, and the planes are CG.
All that’s happening is that it’s becoming cheaper.
and increase fraud
Maybe, but most fraudsters don’t need to try anything near as fancy to be successful.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a minister for science and technology that understood science and technology. Not necessarily be an expert, but know enough to ask intelligent questions and not fall misinformation designed to spread fear.
If you want to ban and punish the outcome as strictly as possible, sure, go wild.
If you want to restrict the underlying technology on the basis it may be misused, you will fail and accomplish nothing, except to harm sensible individuals and the technological future of your entire country.
A ban on nudification tools? Like a paintbrush?
If this was focused on distribution I’d be generally in favour of it, but trying to ban people from modifying images for themselves is way too authoritarian.
