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PHOENIX - Three women have filed a lawsuit alleging their likenesses were stolen and used to create explicit, AI-generated "influencers" without their consent.
What we know:
The women, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they discovered the deepfake images and videos only after the content went viral, amassing millions of views. The Arizona lawsuit names Phoenix-based defendants associated with generative artificial intelligence platforms.
"It was viral, actually. There was hundreds of thousands of views, millions of views on videos of AI versions of me, and it got sent around and people saw it and were sending it to me," a victim said.
Attorneys representing the women allege the platforms allowed users to upload a handful of clothed photos to create digital avatars that were then "undressed" and sold online for profit.
"They looked pretty much exactly like me, but they are pictures I’ve never seen before," one woman said, describing the AI versions of herself in locations she has never visited.
The legal challenge seeks both justice for the victims and the establishment of new safeguards as generative technology outpaces current legislation.
"Generative AI is developing at a rate that is far outpacing the legislation that is lagging behind," said Nick Brand, an attorney for the women.
‘We want to get justice for our clients’
"We want to get justice for our clients who have been violated in a way that’s indescribable and unimaginable. But also to create law, to establish safeguards. We want to make positive change because this generative AI in the wrong hands can cause a lot of damage," said attorney Cristina Perez Hesano.
Dig deeper:
The defendants do not yet have an attorney on record, and FOX 10's attempts to reach them at addresses listed in the lawsuit were unsuccessful.
"I just hope it stops. I hope that everything is taken down soon, and I don’t have to live in fear every single day of these images and videos being created. That I don’t have to be afraid of people finding them," a victim said.
The case comes as officials nationwide increase scrutiny of AI-generated deepfakes following a surge of nonconsensual explicit content circulating on social media.