Scarlett Johansson was one of the first prominent individuals to voice her reservations about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deepfake technologies, particularly the exploitative aspect that reduces human agency by hijacking people’s faces without their consent. It’s especially nefarious and repugnant as it has caused explicit content featuring non-consenting individuals to circulate across the most deplorable corners of the internet.
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Due to recent unfortunate developments, the debate surrounding the topic has again taken paramount precedence (re: the Taylor Swift controversy). However, if we were to examine Johansson’s 2018 remarks, we’d learn very little has been done to protect one’s likeness from being utilized for such degrading, insidious purposes.
When the MCU alum acknowledged it back then, she confessed her helplessness in pursuing legal action against the practice, deeming it inevitable due to how everything functions in cyberspace. And she may have been right to assume so, given how so many other Hollywood celebrities continue to fall prey to the technology after her, within and beyond the p****graphic context.
Scarlett Johansson On The Challenges Of Fighting Against AI And Deepfake Technology
There are downsides to fame, as we all know it. One of Hollywood’s most well-paid and influential actresses, Scarlett Johansson, is no stranger to its pitfalls. However, with the advent and subsequent popularization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deepfake technology, not only are those who are well-known at risk, but anyone whose identities on the Internet are within one hand’s (or a click, you may say).
It’s no one to blame but the perpetrators of the unregulated tech that use it for especially heinous activities.
The process has become highly automated in convincingly replacing one person’s likeness with another. That is, at its core, what Deepfake is—it’s digitally manipulated content. While not all of its utilization on the internet could be deemed threatening, its malevolent application in creating synthetic p****graphy (of non-consenting individuals) and spreading rampant misinformation has been the most controversial.
These were precisely the dangers the Black Widow alum underscored during a candid interview with The Washington Post.
While addressing the gravity of the situation, especially with her being one of the highly targeted actresses whose likeness is used for many such depraved Deepfakes, she revealed how difficult it is, in reality, to regain agency and pursue legal action against the phenomenon:
“I think it’s a useless pursuit, legally, mostly because the internet is a vast wormhole of darkness that eats itself … I think it’s up to an individual to fight for their own right to their image, claim damages, etc. […] It’s a fruitless pursuit for me but a different situation than someone who loses a job over their image being used like that.”
Fighting against such AI-generated content could prove challenging when most of the internet thrives under anonymity, and the legal framework for protecting people’s rights to their images (the wrongful use of it) varies across different nations. Following is what the actress said:
“Every country has [its] legalese regarding the right to your own image … Even if you copyright pictures with your image that belong to you, the same copyright laws don’t apply overseas. I have sadly been down this road many, many times.”
It’s a struggle that has translated into similar situations involving other eminent personalities, even beyond Hollywood. While many sites have taken steps to ban deepfakes and deepfake p****graphy, it is the dissemination and creation of such non-consented content, explicit or not, that needs immediate and proficient regulation.
Other Hollywood Cases Support Scarlett Johansson’s Fears About AI
In her statement, Scarlett Johansson’s warning against the practice underscored the inherent hopelessness in attempting to protect oneself from “the internet and its depravity.” She deemed it a lost cause. The Lost in Translation star nonetheless urged the vulnerable population (women, children, and elderly) to take extra precautions to safeguard their personal information and identities.
It’s indeed advice that should be taken seriously, given that even A-list celebrities, who have the means and resources to protect themselves, find it exceedingly strenuous to grapple with these developments and have their likeness and identities hijacked for nefarious purposes. Hollywood stars like Tom Hanks, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Bell, Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, and so many others have fallen victim to the fake creations birthed by AI.
A few of them have spoken about the phenomenon, too. Last year, veteran actor Tom Hanks alerted his Instagram followers, “Beware — there’s a video … promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it.”
Related: Scarlett Johansson Turned Down One of the Most Lucrative Roles Done by a Female Actress in Hollywood
Of violating explicit deepfake content made using her image, The Good Place alum (via Vox) Kristen Bell noted, “It’s hard to think about that I’m being exploited.” Citing research conducted by Deeptrace, Vox also reported that 96% of deepfakes online are p****graphic, and almost all include non-consenting women. This goes to show the severity of the threat to women’s safety.
When Keanu Reeves (via Wired) was asked to share his opinion on actors getting deepfaked, he iterated, “What’s frustrating about that is you lose your agency. […] If you go into deepfake land, it has none of your points of view. That’s scary.”
AI and deepfakes’ dangerous potential being capitalized for immoral purposes demonstrates the vitality with which it needs to be addressed.
Last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes were characterized by how troublesome AI could prove for their professions. More fruitful dialogue, however, needs to be carried out about the dangers being imposed on people when it comes to the illicit usage of AI-generated content, especially its weaponization in harnessing NSFW content and harassing women.
